Here We Go Again
by ESTF
Summary: At 18, Massie got pregnant of Derrick's child. She left them and went to NY to become a fashion designer. After 10 years of fame and glam, Massie is lured back to her hometown. Will old feelings come back again? NY or Derrington? T for the moment. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Here's something I thought of while I read some Clique fanfics. The title is taken from Demi Lovato's "Here We Go Again". I hope you'll like it.:-)**

**I own nothing.**

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Chapter 1:

Massie Block increased the volume of her white Porsche 911 Turbo's stereo so that she wouldn't hear herself thinking. But David Archuleta's "Waiting For Yesterday", her favorite song, did not calm her even a bit. Eventually, when I entered the vicinity of her hometown, Westchester, which she tried to hide from for ten, long years, she couldn't help herself but think of June 4, 1998, the day which completely altered her life.

_Flashback_

"_I hopped off the plane at LAX_

_With a dream and my cardigan_

_Welcome to the land of fame excess_

_Whoa, am I gonna fit in?_

_Jumped in the cab,_

_Here I am for the first time_

_Look to the right and I see the Hollywood sign_

_This is all so crazy_

_Everybody seems so famous_

_My tummys turnin and I'm feelin kinda home sick_

_Too much pressure and I'm nervous,_

_That's when the taxi man turned on the radio_

_And the Jay Z song was on_

_And the Jay Z song was on_

_And the Jay Z song was on__"_

_Massie continued singing while she and Derrington—her sweet secret nickname for Derrick Harrington, the star goalie of the Briarwood soccer team and her steady boyfriend—walked unsteadily to the park which was only a seven-minute walk from his house. They were both intensely drunk from the Victory Party held at the Harrington's estate. Since they were already seniors and since their parents were all cool and hip, they were allowed to have a wild party._

_They were already at the empty, quiet, Bermuda-grassed Park. Massie dragged Derrington to the swing, still singing drunkenly._

"_So I put my hands up_

_They're playing my song _

_The butterflies fly away _

_I'm nodding my head_

_like "Yeah!"_

_Movin' my hips like "Yeah!"_

_Got my hands up, they're playing_

_my song_

_I know I'm gonna be okay_

_Yeah! It's a party in the USA!_

_Yeah! It's a party in the USA!"_

_They collapsed to the cool grass with Massie singing like an old, drunk man from a bar and Derrington laughing hysterically at her. Massie continued singing as she climbed on top of Derrington. He listened to her voice as he admired her features._

_Even though drunk, Derrington could still see why a lot of guys in Westchester go gaga over Massie Block. Her light, femininely weight felt nice against his body. Her thin, flawless legs squeezed itself between his muscular thighs. Her dark brown hair looked pretty as it fell down to her eyes, strands by strands. Her beautiful amber eyes glistened as they stared at his puppy dog eyes. _

_But that wasn't the reason why he loved her so much. Well, partly, yes but there was something more in Massie Block than her rich family, her beauty, and fame which only he and Claire Lyons have seen. _

_Beneath the rough surface, a smooth, vulnerable Massie Block lays quietly. And that's what attracted Derrington. Massie Block was one no one can defeat but little hurtful words could silently destroy her inner self. He needed her and she needed him, too._

_Their lips were only an inch apart so Derrington made no effort to lean forward that much. Only one move and their lips were already intact passionately with each other. Massie's hand traced the contours of his chest and he shivered from her touch. His fingers, on the other hand, trailed down from her neck to her lower spine but stopped there. He loved her so much and respected her. He didn't want her to do something she wasn't ready for. But he was too drunk to think straight. And neither was she. _

_Massie wrapped her legs around Derrington's waist and she slightly sat upright, so that she was straddling him. _

"_I wanna make love with you." She whispered to him with a stunning smile. "I want you here, right now."_

_Derrington smiled back at her gleefully and then pulled her back to kiss her feverishly. _

_It was a night they couldn't _ever _forget._

_End of flashback_

Massie idled when she entered the Block estate. It's been ten years since she has seen her home and it hadn't changed much. Actually, it hadn't changed at all. She parked her car beside the upgraded version of their Range Rover and sat in there for a few minutes to gather up some strength to face her dad and her sick mom. She adjusted her BCBG beret and her oversized Dior sunglasses which complimented her outfit—a Channel zebra print skinny jeans, a black off-shoulder Versace blouse, and a pair of red Jimmy Choo pumps—perfectly. She grabbed her Louis Vuitton tote bag and stepped out of her car.

Upon entering her house, a 44-year-old Inez greeted her with a hug and informed her that her parents are waiting for her in their bedroom. With her heart thudding like mad, she climbed the grand staircase and let her instincts drive her to her parents' bedroom. She knocked at the door before entering.

Kendra Block, still beautiful and glowing even if she looked pale and frail under a white comforter, was laughing despite her illness after William Block told her a joke he read from a book recently. When they saw her, William stood up from the edge of the bed and ran to his long-gone daughter, giving her a tight, warm hug.

"Hi, Dad." Massie whispered to his ear as she kissed his cheek.

He pulled away and nodded understandingly at her before he guided her to sit beside his already-weeping wife.

Before Massie could touch her butt to the bed, Kendra threw her arms around her and cried against her neck.

"Mom, I-I'm sorry." Massie managed to say before she burst into tears.

William wrapped his arms around the two most important persons in the world to him.

"Shh." He soothed them. "The past is past, honey. For ten years, I can say that your mother and I have understood what you've done and we respect your decision although we don't exactly tolerate it."

Massie cried harder. "I'm sorry."

They continued crying and crying for a few minutes, talking about the past and what Massie has missed while she was away.

"We've heard that you've launched your own clothing line five years ago." Kendra said with a proud smile. "Congratulations, dear. We're so happy for you."

Massie blushed. "Thanks, Mom. Yes, it's been rewarding and I'm happy with what I'm doing."

"We should celebrate, you know. Have a welcome party or what." Kendra suggested, getting up. "I'll call Alicia and the rest. I'll also invite Derrick and Blair." She blurted out unthinkingly.

Massie's heartbeat stopped. _Blair_, she thought. _That's what my daughter's name is. I wonder if she looks like me. _

Meeting her daughter was all she has dreamed of ever since she walked away from her life. But she knew that if she sees her, it would be difficult for her to go back to her life in New York.

"Mom, I'm not staying long. I have to go." She said to her mother who was already back on bed.

"What? Why?" She asked, sadness filled her eyes. "But you just got here."

William placed her hand on Massie's shoulder. "Your mother's right, Massie. You just got here."

"I-I can't just go back here as if nothing has happened, Mom." Massie murmured. "I have hurt a lot of people and I don't know if I have the strength to face them."

"Massie, they'll understand you. They're your friends and Derrick loves you until now. All that Blair could—"

Massie cut her off. "Mom, no. Please, I can't."

Kendra was about to argue but William silenced her. "It's alright, honey. But may we ask you. What exactly is the reason why you visited?"

Massie looked at them curiously. "My secretary received a call from mom, telling her that she's terribly sick and needs me here."

Kendra and William looked at each other with shocked expressions. "We didn't call you, dear, and I'm not sick. I'm perfectly fine." Kendra verified.

Massie was confused. They all were. If Kendra didn't call Annie—her secretary—then who did?

Unexpectedly, someone knocked at the door and then opened it without waiting for an answer.

A beautiful blonde stood at the threshold of the bedroom with a guilty smile on her round face. Her familiar eyes flickered to Massie beneath her bangs.

"Hey, Mass." Claire Lyons greeted. "Glad you received my call." She winked at her and ran to give her a friendly I-miss-you hug.

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**Okay, for the song, it's entitled "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. I've always dreamed of Massie singing this song while drunk. Haha. Guess that finally got true.:-D I wanted to continue that Derrington/Massie moment but I thought it was too fast to have a lemon. But I'm thinking of having one in the later chapters. Seems like you have to read continuously to find out. Ask me some questions if you have some. Or clarifications or whatever.**

**I really, really like to hear your thoughts about my first Clique fanfic. Bad or good, I want to know what you think of it. Thanks.:-)**


	2. Chapter 2

**The reviews were all amazing. Thanks for making me smile. **

**Someone PM'd me this morning and she told me that the Party In The USA lyrics I placed on the previous chapter was wrong. I checked it out and she was right. I'm so sorry, guys, because I just copied it straight from a website (I'm not allowed to mention or else they'll sue me) and pasted it on the chapter without reading the lyrics. I'm so sorry. So, I edited the chapter. You may not read it if you already have. Thank you, sensitivitysucks, for correcting my mistake. **

**And, dang. I forgot about something important. I was planning on putting this on the first chapter so that you'll all have a little background on what the characters are. Oh, well, here they are. Let's pretend that Kristen is rich from the beginning and her family owns a car company. All of them are rich. Haha:-D**

**Massie Block: A famous fashion designer and has her own clothing line called Alpha. **

**Alicia Rivera-Hotz: An international model and a well-known dance instructor with her own dance studio.**

**Dylan Marvil-Plovert: Took over Merri-Lee Marvil's spot on the Daily Grind show.**

**Kristen Gregory-Solomon: Inherited her family's business and coaches the OCD soccer team. (Yeah, there's a girl's soccer team, now.)**

**Claire Lyons-Fisher: A Hollywood actress. **

**Derrick Harrington, Josh Hotz, Chris Plovert, Dempsey Solomon, and Cam Fisher: Westchester's soccer team players. Derrick's the captain and goalie.**

**I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here's the chapter…**

**I own nothing. **

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Chapter 2:

The girl who used to wear overalls and Keds fanatically was totally over those ridiculous clothes, Massie thought as she stood at the hood of her car with Claire Lyons-Fisher in front of her.

Claire was wearing an Anne Klein stone-washed skinny jeans tucked inside a pair of black Prada boots, a blue Kate Spade long-sleeved shirt underneath a Denny & George black overcoat and a Versace boho bag slung on her shoulder. Yet despite all these improvements in the way Claire was dressed, her friendly grin and long bangs were still there, highlighted as her best features.

If she wasn't so damn furious, Massie would've teased Claire about it.

Massie glared murderously at her. "Explain." She ordered, crossing her arms across her chest.

Claire let out a shaky laugh. "I don't know where to start."

"Then, start from the beginning, Claire." Massie snapped.

Claire was taken aback. "You're not calling me _Kuh-laire_." She raised her eyebrows, wondering if Massie has truly forgotten of how they were before.

Massie ignored her observation. "That's not important, Claire. What I want to know is why on earth you lured me back here. I'll count to three and if you won't begin explaining you'll run to your house, bare-footed, with me chasing you in my car." She threatened. "One—"

"Okay, okay! I missed you, alright?" Claire told Massie.

"That's not a good enough answer, Claire." Massie continued glaring at her.

Claire started to bite her nails, her usual attitude when she's on the verge of telling the truth.

Massie sighed furiously. "Two—"

"Blair begged me to bring you home for her birthday tonight." Claire blurted out unthinkingly and when she realized she had, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mass, but I couldn't say no to the child. She kept on crying and crying until I promised her it. After all, we _all _missed you so badly. She has been asking Derrington—"

Massie cut her off. "Don't mention his name." Claire raised an eyebrow. "It's just—I can't…" Massie didn't continue what she was about to say and yelled, "Oh, God! Why am I even trying to explain myself to you? D-Derrick"—gulp—"and I are over. I don't care whatever he's going to do in his life. There's nothing more to say." She snapped.

Claire couldn't believe what Massie just said. _She doesn't care? _She thought.

Massie began to walk back to house when Claire shouted in a braver, more authoritative tone. "What about Blair? What about your daughter, Massie? Are you going to walk away from her _again_? As hard as you hide from it, Blair is still your daughter. You're a part of each other." Massie didn't turn back to her but she felt her heart being crumpled inside. Claire sensed it and continued in a softer tone. "I know that there's some part in you that wants to meet her, Mass. And even for a minute, give your daughter a chance to tell you things that she's been wanting to say to you ever since."

Massie mulled this over for a minute. Of course, she wanted to see her daughter even for awhile but how will meeting her affect her present life? _No, it won't. I'll keep it brief and short_, she thought. Massie slowly wheeled around to Claire and cracked a smile. "I guess one night couldn't hurt me."

Claire squealed and ran to hug Massie. They started to go back inside the house, keeping one arm around each other.

"So, who else knows that I'm here?" Massie asked Claire.

"Only me and Blair. And your parents and Inez, of course. When you meet her, you'll surely see and know how wonderful and beautiful she is." Claire stated as one of Blair's proud godmother.

Massie smiled inwardly. "Yes, I'm sure she is." But changed the topic afterwards. "I saw your latest movie, _Near and Far_, and—sheesh—I didn't know you could act _that _good." She said with much honesty.

Claire blushed, flattered by her friend's compliment. "Thanks, Mass. It sounds good coming out from you." She admitted.

They laughed and talked about other things, catching up with the latest events of their lives.

Massie tried not to blurt out Brent Warren's name carefully all throughout her conversation with Claire in the family room.

Looks like Claire's not just the one who has some secrets.

***

Massie Block looked at her Bvlgari watch. _6:15pm_, she thought. In less than an hour, she will be meeting her former friends. In less than an hour, she will be seeing her daughter, Blair. In less than an hour, she will be facing Derrick Harrington and his questions.

She felt like hyperventilating but composed herself immediately, thinking that she needs to finish this at once. She was still standing at the middle of her room with her red BCBG halter minidress on her shoulder. She began putting her dress on and sliding her feet in the black and gold Miu Miu pumps she just purchased from the mall awhile ago with the minidress. She also added a long pearl necklace, a matching bracelet, and a pair of pearl dangling earrings to accessorize her outfit further.

After all, Massie Block doesn't come to a party without looking breathtakingly beautiful. Even if it's a birthday party of her daughter.

She began hyperventilating again as she thought of her and eventually, thinking of her made her think of Derrick, too.

Seems like she will need a lot of air this evening.

***

"Mass, where are you?" Claire Lyons-Fisher whispered-bellowed into the phone. She tiptoed outside of her house and endured the cold outside so that no one could hear her. "Everyone's already here. They've been waiting for you for fifteen minutes and they're starting to get annoyed considering that they don't have the faintest idea who the 'surprise guest' I'm telling them."

At the moment Claire stopped babbling, Massie Block pulled her car over the circular driveway of Cam and Claire Fisher's enormous estate. She was pretty impressed of and happy for her friends' huge step up.

Claire met her and guided her to the foyer of the house. "They're in the living room. All of them are. You ready?"

"Not a bit." Massie confessed.

Claire smiled encouragingly and she made her way to the living room with Massie walking behind her.

The living room was decorated with balloons and all. It really looked like a children's party.

"Guys, guess who's here?" Claire hinted exuberantly and stepped aside to let the other's get a good look of Massie.

Massie waved once and smiled. "Hi, everyone."

After recovering from the shock, the PC ran to her and hugged her tightly, their faces drenched in tears. A heavily pregnant Alicia Rivera-Hotz yet still stunning in an aqua blue Ralph Lauren minidress and gold Louis Vuitton Greek heels was the first one to wrap her hands around her.

"Massie, Massie, Massie," they all murmured simultaneously.

"I missed you, guys." She muttered, fighting the tears that were beginning to bolt.

Dylan Marvil-Plovert, finally skinny and still a redhead, kissed Massie's cheek and cried. "You stupid girl…" Her voice was drowned by Kristen Gregory-Solomon's loud sobs.

The guys—Cam, Josh, Chris, and Dempsey—came forward and hugged Massie, too. Massie waited for a shaggy, light-brown-haired guy with puppy-dog eyes to come and join their group hug but when they cleared out to give Massie some air, Derrick Harrington was nowhere to be found.

"Auntie Claire, is that mommy?"

Massie was busy searching the room for Derrick that she didn't notice a small girl with amber eyes and light brown hair tugging Claire's hand and pointing her other hand towards Massie until she spoke.

Massie froze as she heard Blair Kathleen Block-Harrington's tiny, sweet voice.

"Yes, that's her, sweetie." Claire whispered to her.

Blair crossed the room towards her mother slowly. Her dimply smile lit up the whole room brighter than the sun ever could.

"Mommy?" she said to Massie who wasn't able to speak. Instead, she just stared at Blair's eyes. Amber met amber.

Longing for her mom, Blair wrapped her arms around Massie's waist. "I love you, Mommy." She whispered-cried.

The moment Blair hugged her and said those three words, Massie heard herself catch her breath. The knot in the pit of her stomach tightened and she felt as if time has stopped. She endeavored to huddle her tears inside her eyes but a drop betrayed her.

And that was the thing she dreaded the most. If she responds, her whole New York life will be at stake.

Quickly, Massie composed herself and disentangled Blair's small arms from her. "I-I'm not your mother." She said shakily to the child and then turned to her shocked friends, "I hate to spoil your evening but I really can't do this. I'm sorry." She ran to the door without turning back, trying her best not to trip, fall and lose it all.

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**Shocking, right? What do you think about the chapter? Do you think it was kinda harsh of Massie when she denied being the mother of sweet Blair? I wanna hear your thoughts. Review!:-) Please leave a review when you alert me or favorite me. I really want to know your comments, suggestions or whatsoever. And I think I can't update sooner because exams are coming and I need to study endlessly without any distractions. Sigh.  
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**Can you think the perf name for Kristen's car company? If you do, please review and tell me. Thanks********)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry for the super late update. You see, I've been busy with long tests and studying for the quarter exams which is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Yeah, I know. Stressful. Next reason is that I've been terribly sick since Friday. My fever has been on and off for four days, from 37.9, 38 to 39.4. *shiver* Terrible. There were a lot of lab tests that I had to take to find out my sickness. Hah. **

**Before we go on to the chapter, I would like to thank all those who reviewed, either good or bad. Oh, and to that reader who reviewed IHY, ILY!:-) *flying a kiss***

**On with the chapter.**

**I own nothing. Too bad.**

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Everyone was staring at the mother-daughter reunion displayed before them with adoring eyes. The girls were all teary-eyed while the guys had happy, peaceful expressions on their faces.

But Massie couldn't say a thing as Blair continued hugging her.

The moment Blair hugged and said those three words, Massie heard herself catch her breath. The knot in the pit of her stomach tightened and she felt as if time has stopped. She endeavored to huddle her tears inside her eyes but a drop betrayed her.

Quickly and without processing it thoroughly, Massie composed herself and disentangled Blair's small arms from her. "I-I'm not your mom." She murmured without looking at the child and then turned to the stunned crowd. "I'm sorry, guys. I hate ruining your evening but I really can't do this." She ran to the door, trying her best not to trip and fall and loose it all.

***

Derrick Harrington just got out from the back door when he saw Massie Block run out of the living room like she was in a hurry.

He definitely was surprised. He did not expect to see the mother of his child here, back in Westchester, after ten long years of no communication.

"Was that Massie?" He turned to the others but no one answered.

And then, he saw her.

Blair was on Dylan Marvil's lap, crying into her neck. Kristen, Dempsey and Plovert tried to shush her while Cam, Claire, Alicia and Josh murmured inaudible things to each other.

Derrick rushed to Blair and she went to him, crying against his chest.

"What happened?" He asked no one in particular. When nobody answered, he bellowed, "What the hell happened to my daughter?!"

Josh walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder lightly. "Massie told her she isn't her mother. Sorry, bro."

"Josh!" Alicia hissed-warned.

Josh shot her a what-am-i-supposed-to-do-he-needs-to-know-the-truth look.

Anger filled Derrick's blood. He began shaking in fury.

"Dyl, take Blair. I'll be right back." He muttered with a tight jaw as he handed the weeping child to Dylan who accepted her.

"Calm down, man." Josh restrained him but derrick pushed him away and bolted to the door.

If Massie wanted war, she can have one, he thought.

***

Massie stood in front of the driver's door, Derrick saw. He had no time to fantasize over how stunning she looked under the dark blue glittery sky.

Massie heard footsteps coming and knew who it was even before Derrick shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you, Massie?"

She knew he was furious but simply answered in a bored voice. "I'm tired and I want to go home so—"

She was about to open the door when Derrick closed it harshly.

"No, no. We need to talk." He said angrily.

Massie sighed furiously but refused to look at him. "What do you want me to do? Grovel and beg for mercy?" She sounded like an unnerving bitch.

"A plain apology would be better than telling Blair she is not your daughter." Derrick snapped and continued, "She has been waiting for this day to come for years, Massie, and you ruined it. Denying the truth that you're her mother is the foulest and the most obnoxious thing that you've ever done. Leaving her was nothing compared to what you've just fed her mind. For the love of God, are we that unimportant to you?"

"Stop." Massie whispered.

He didn't listen. "Maybe your fabulous city life has made you forget about us. Maybe you even love it more than us here."

"Stop." She repeated a little bit louder.

Again, he didn't listen to her. "All those press, glamorous parties and hanging out with big celebrities, you left us for those. And here you are now, coming back to town to boast about your fame and deny your ties with us so that you could go back to New York City and flirt with those scumbag male models. You're a person with no conscience. I'm sure you even want to erase me and Blair so that you'll feel less burdened and—"

"Step!" Massie shouted, turning to face Derrick. She has had enough of all the lies he's been shouting at her.

"Do you think I don't want to see my daughter and hug her and claim her as my own? For all those years, I've been wanting nothing else to go back here to hold her tight. I wanted to be there when she first spoke. I wanted to be the one to teach her about clothes. I wanted to read her a bedtime story. I wanted to bake her cookies. I wanted to bring her to school. I wanted to tell her how much I love her. Every morning I wake up and in the evening when I can't sleep, I picture out how she looks. Do you think I don't love her, Derrick? I love her so much that I could die here on the spot!" Massie fought back the tears.

"But you left her. You left me." He argued.

Massie threw her arms in exasperation. "For heaven's sake, I was only 18. I was young and ambitious. I know it's a weak excuse but I was confused that time and wasn't thinking straight."

Derrick groaned. "There you go again. When you left, have tried to stop thinking about you and yourself? Have you thought of your parents? Of your friends? Of Blair? Of me? I was young, too, Massie. I also had dreams yet I stayed here and took care of Blair because that's what parents do. They don't just leave something they know they're responsible of. They don't just run away from their obligations to their child." Derrick spat brusquely.

Massie was about to justify but he interrupted her by saying, "She loves you. But I know it wouldn't matter to you since you'll be going back to paradise tomorrow." He began pacing back to the house with his body facing Massie still. "You left us once and you're doing it again. I just hope this time you won't be coming back. That way you wouldn't be hurting a lot of people. I wish you well and may you be happy with your choice." He shouted to Massie with strong sarcasm before slamming the front door.

Massie fumbled with the door and stepped in the car. She started the engine and drove off to her house with a speed of a hundred kilometers per hour. Upon entering the house, she rushed to her room where she let the tears which she stalwartly since the scene in Claire and Cam's house stream down and ruin her dress.

She has decided to go back to New York despite the time. She was about to call Annie when her iMac _ding_ed. It only occurred to her that she forgot to shut off her computer before leaving for the party. Wiping the tears away with the back of her hand, she walked to her computer and checked the IM she just received.

It was from Claire. She sent Massie a video clip of Blair singing Fly With Me by the Jonas Brothers.

If time was still  
The sun would never never find us  
We could light up  
The sky tonight  
I would see the world through your eyes  
Leave it all behind

If it's you and me forever  
If its you and me right now  
That'd be alright  
Be alright

We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

Oh yeah  
Gonna fly with me now

Now the past  
Can come alive  
And give it meaning  
And a reason  
To give all I can  
To believe once again

If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
That'd be alright  
Be alright  
We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

Maybe you were just afraid  
Knowing you were miles away  
From the place where you needed to be  
And that's right here with me

It's you and me forever  
You and me right now  
That'd be alright  
We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
I'd be alright  
Be alright  
We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly  
Fly  
Fly with me

"Love you, mommy." Blair blew the camera a kiss before the clip ended.

Massie watched the clip over and over again before she fell to the ground and cried against the rug. In a matter of time, Kendra entered her room and saw her daughter on the floor. She ran to her side and pulled Massie to the bed, stroking her hair gently and soothingly.

"Mom, I'm such a bad person." Massie sobbed.

"No, you're not." Kendra disagreed.

"But I told Blair—"

Kendra cut her off. "I know what you told her, honey. Alicia called me. Yes, it wasn't a very smart thing to do but I still don't think you're a bad person because I know you love her."

Massie pulled away, looking at her Mom.

"Massie, let me ask you this." Kendra sighed. "Do you love Blair?"

Massie nodded. "Yes, I do. More than my own life."

"Even before you came back and saw her?"

"Yes."

"And you don't regret giving birth to her?"

"No, I don't."

"How about Derrick?" Kendra questioned. "Do you still love him?"

Massie didn't answer, pursing her lips.

Kendra looked at her meaningfully. "Massie?"

"Yes," Massie mumbled and added in a louder voice. "But it doesn't matter anymore. He won't forgive me for what I've done."

Kendra shook her head. "No, honey. If he loves you so much, no matter how grave your mistake is, he will forgive you. Trust me."

And as Massie stared into Kendra's wise, honest eyes, all the doubts and miseries were gone.

"Now, get some sleep and go talk to Blair and Derrick tomorrow morning." Kendra commanded in a sweet voice, tucking Massie into bed.

Massie watched her mom walk out of her room and thought of a plan on how to make it up to Derrick and Blair.

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**I was kinda tired when I wrote this chapter so it isn't exactly what I planned to write. The original one was longer and elaborates more. But for the sake of updating, I cut some unimportant parts. Haha. Okay, so, reviews please:-)**

**arr**


	4. Chapter 4

**Two reasons for why I haven't updated earlier. One, exams just ended last Saturday and I was so tired yesterday. Two, I've been so obsessed over CSI:NY. To those who have seen it, don't you just agree with me when I say that Danny and Mac are so hot? And that Stella and Aiden are, too? It's such a bummer that Stella and Danny or Mac and Stella never gotten a chance to be together, eh? Though, Mac and Stella and Danny and Aiden do flirt constantly with each other. Sigh. Breathe. Haha. Oh, shoutout to my best firend, Mocca/FriendLey, love ya!**

**And, also, a huge thank you to those who reviewed/favorited/alerted me. Thank you, thank you. Reviews just light up my day.**

**On with the chapter…**

**I own nothing.**

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"Spencer." Annie answered her phone at the fourth ring.

Massie sighed with relief as she made a u-turn out of the Block Estate. "Thank God, you finally answered. I was about to think you died."

Annie laughed nervously. "Sorry, boss. I just got out from the shower and—"

Massie wasn't listening. "I need you to send me some of my clothes here right now and move all my meetings to next week. E-mail me the preliminary designs for the Winter collection and I'll e-mail you back my critiques."

Annie scribbled down notes while Massie gave her orders. "Yes, boss. Right away."

Massie hung up the phone without further ado and turned to Derrick Harrington's estate. It was big, and mostly like Massie's with the circular driveway and all but Massie had no time to scrutinize. Derrick, in his Westchester Tomihawks soccer uniform and a sports bag slung over his muscular shoulder, emerged from the front door and opened his black BMW convertible with his remote. Massie pulled her car behind his and got out. He saw her but just froze on his place and stared at her with cold, suspicious eyes.

Massie smiled a bit and waved her hand timidly at him. "Hey."

Derrick just continued glaring at her.

_How should I start? Should I say 'I come in peace', _Massie thought in vain.

"So, er, um," Massie fidgeted with the zipper of her Coach tote bag. "I just came to talk to Blair. Don't worry, I won't harass her or anything. I'll just apologize and tell her a surprise."

Derrick stared into Massie's amber eyes and sensed the sincerity in them. Slowly and deliberately, his expression softened. "Come in. I'll show you the way." He began walking back to the door and opened it for Massie. Derrick closed the door behind him and led the way to the grand staircase. At the first step, Massie skidded to halt and blurted out, "Derrick, I'm sorry about last night."

Derrick wheeled around to face her with a heart-warming smile. "I was about to say the same thing."

Massie couldn't help but smile back.

They smiled at each other for a moment in silence and Derrick began to walk up the stairs. When they reached Blair's room, they stopped.

Derrick knocked once and called out, "Honey, you have a visitor."

"Who is it, Dad?" Blair's voice asked from the inside of the room.

Derrick looked at Massie who nodded at him. "Your mom's here."

There was no response from the other side of the door.

"Blair?" Derrick waited.

"Come in." Blair answered in a small voice.

Derrick opened the door for Massie who stepped in with shaky feet.

Blair was sitting upright on her bed with the comforters pulled up to her waist. Her eyes were puffy and red from all the crying. She pulled a lock of brown hair back behind her ears and sniffed.

Massie walked up to her and sat at the edge of her bed while Derrick hovered behind, leaning against the wall.

"Hi, Blair." Massie greeted warmly with a smile.

"Hi." The child greeted back but not as warm as her mother did.

Massie inched her way closer and placed her hand on top of Blair's. "I came here to sing you a song."

Derrick raised an eyebrow. So did, Blair.

Massie cleared her throat and began singing Blair's song for her in a sweet, delicate voice.

"If time was still  
The sun would never never find us  
We could light up  
The sky tonight  
I would see the world through your eyes  
Leave it all behind

If it's you and me forever  
If its you and me right now  
That'd be alright  
Be alright

We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

Oh yeah  
Gonna fly with me now

Now the past  
Can come alive  
And give it meaning  
And a reason  
To give all I can  
To believe once again

If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
That'd be alright  
Be alright  
We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

Maybe you were just afraid  
Knowing you were miles away  
From the place where you needed to be  
And that's right here with me

It's you and me forever  
You and me right now  
That'd be alright  
We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me."

Massie paused to squeeze Blair's frozen hands. "Come on, sweetie, help me out."

Blair smiled and she joined her mom in singing the last verse.

"If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
I'd be alright  
Be alright  
We'll chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly  
Fly  
Fly with me."

They stared into each other's amber eyes for a moment and tears began oozing from the corners of Blair's eyes. Massie wiped a tear with a kiss and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"I'm sorry if it took me ten years, sweetie." Massie whispered at Blair's ears. "I love you."

"I love you more, Mom." Blair whispered back.

***

"Hey, Massie!" A loud chorus of the PC's (minus Kristen) greeted Massie as she joined them in Alicia Hotz's spa at the back of her house.

Massie just got back from OCD where she dropped Blair off after having breakfast with her while Derrick left first for practice. On her way to Alicia's house, she met a couple of people who knew her: there was Kori, Chris Abeley, Nurse Adele, Olivia and a few more. They fussed over how beautiful and successful Massie now is while Massie sislently begged for an instant emergency exit.

"Hey, guys." Massie grinned at each one of them who were not to mention all in the Jacuzzi. She went to sit on the edge of the tub and mussed Claire's hair. "Hey, Lessh, don't you find it difficult wearing super tight tank tops considering the fact that you're heavily pregnant?"

Dylan snorted-giggled. "She has some pretty huge space in there, if you ask me." Dylan gestured towards Alicia's abnormally huge balloons.

Claire and Massie laughed out loud while Alicia just rolled her eyes at Dylan as if that comment did not struck her to the core.

"Don't you guys get tired of teasing me about my boobs?" She asked with faux-boredom.

"Not as much as Josh is when he goes ogling over your twins." Massie joked.

Everyone laughed so hard that tears were falling from their eyes. Even Alicia who didn't even look offended—actually, she looked pretty smug about it.

"But seriously, guys," Alicia was able to choke out between the laughter, "Josh and I. . .there's something not. . .right."

Everyone stopped laughing at once.

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked, confused. "He loves you and you love him. We all know that."

"You look so happy when you're together." Claire seconded.

"That's not it." Alicia disagreed. "We're both good in acting."

Massie processed what she said for a moment. "What _exactly _are _you _implying?"

Alicia took a deep breath, closed her eyes ad opened them after awhile with a fake smile across her face. "Nothing. Probably a misunderstanding." She sighed. "So, who wants pizza?" She announced, trying to sound happy.

Massie looked at Claire who looked at Dylan and they all looked at each other with a she's-hiding-something look written all over their faces.

***

It was already 2 o'clock in the afternoon when Massie got into her car and drove off to OCD to pick up Blair. Massie couldn't get Alicia's expression when she talked about Josh out of her mind. Alicia knows that they knew that something was bothering her but did not tell them and Massie knew that whatever that is going on between Alicia and Josh must be so confidential.

Massie did not notice that she was already at OCD until Blair opened the front seat door and kissed her cheek. "Hi, Mom."

Massie shook her head and smiled back at her child. "Hi, sweetie. So, shall we have dinner outside now?"

Blair thought about it and a huge grin broke into her face. "Yay! But we have to pick up daddy first."

Massie, actually, didn't consider inviting Derrick but if that would make things easier for Blair then her wish is Massie's command. "Sure, we have to."

Massie drove her car to the Soccer Stadium where the Tomihawks were practicing.

***

"Daddy!" Blair beamed as she ran to the center of the field where Derrick and his team were at.

At the sound of his daughter's exuberant voice, Derrick whipped his head and found Blair running to him with Massie chasing her.

Derrick held Blair up to his chest as he watched Massie run to them.

"Blair, honey, don't let your mommy chase you around all the time. Especially when she's wearing heels." Derrick taunted with a laugh.

"Ha ha." Massie scowled-panted. "Very funny, Mr. Harrington."

"Hey, Mass." The other guys greeted her with a wave.

"Hi, guys." She replied, still breathing deeply from exhaustion.

"Daddy, we're having dinner with Mommy tonight." Blair announced exuberantly.

"Oh, we are?" Derrick turned to look meaningfully at Massie.

Massie smiled innocently. "Don't you think it would be fun?"

"Yes, I'm sure it would be a hell of a dinner." Derrick murmured.

"Language, young man." Massie scolded, taking Blair from him while the tiny cutie giggled. "So, you better change because we have to get going. We'll wait for you in _your _car."

"Why not use yours?" Derrick argued.

"Because I said so." Massie whispered-hissed at him.

Derrick backed away, holding his hands up like a prisoner getting caught by a cop. "Alright, alright. Chill."

"Sheesh. That woman is so demanding." He murmured to himself as he jogged towards the locker room but his pleased smile was vividly seen by everyone.

***

"Anything more, Mr. Harrington?" The restaurant manager asked as one of the waiters placed Derrick, Massie and Blair's order on their table.

"Nothing more, Tom." Derrick slipped him a 50 dollar bill.

"Thank you, sir. Enjoy your evening." He eyed Massie for the hundredth time before walking back to the reception area.

"What an ass—" Massie began to say but Derrick stepped on her polished toes and gestured towards Blair who was clearly enjoying herself with watching her mom and dad.

Massie realized that she was about to curse in front of her daughter and blushed. "Sorry. But you didn't have to step on my foot so hard." She glared at Derrick who glared back at her.

"It wouldn't be necessary if you chose to wear something else other than that low neck dress." Derrick snapped.

Massie was wearing an emerald low neck Dolce & Gabbana blouse, a pair of white Chanel skinny jeans and a pair of brown, leather strappy Louis Vuitton wedges. Blair even thought she looked amazing.

"Well, what I wear is none of your business, Mr. Harrington." Massie snapped back.

They've almost forgotten their daughter being there watching them until Blair cleared her throat. "Watching you two is more fun than watching Gossip Girl on CW."

Massie and Derrick looked at each other briefly then at Blair and back at each other again. Then, after a few minutes, the three of them were already laughing.

"Sorry if you had to hear that, honey." Derrick apologized. "Mommy and I promise that we won't fight again. Don't we, _Massie_?" He shot Massie a for-the-sake-of-the-kid-say-yes look.

"Yes, we promise we won't fight again." Massie went along with him and remembered something. "Blair, honey, would you it if we have a picnic in the park tomorrow? Just you and me and of course, daddy?" She suggested.

Blair beamed at her. "Yay! I like that idea, Mom. Don't you do, too, Dad?"

Derrick was actually pretty happy but pretty cautious, too. "Yes, I think it would be wonderful. So, pick you up at noon tomorrow?" Derrick turned to Massie.

Massie nodded in response while she chewed a piece of shrimp cutlet. "I'll be waiting." She winked at him unthinkingly.

At that moment, Derrick's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, he found himself reminiscing the past when he and Massie were happy together. And that made himself come to realizations.

That the old, funny and demanding Massie Block is sitting across him.

That she still loves eating shrimp cutlets.

That he still finds it difficult prying his eyes away from her.

That his heart still skips a beat when she winks at her.

And that he is still madly in love with Massie Block.

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**This chapter is the longest chapter to date, I think. Haha. But I found it hard to stop writing. Haha. **

**Anyways, I really would like to have more than 30 reviews from you guys. That would keep me updating sooner. LOL. But seriously, they would. And please, please, please LEAVE A REVIEW BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS PAGE. It would really mean so much to me if you review. So, please do:-)**

**Oh, and, I'm giving a bonus chapter because I just felt like writing. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own anything.

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At exactly 12:00 noon, Derrick was already in front of Massie's doorstep with an excited Blair in the backseat. They were going to have picnic tonight and after that, he and Massie would have to straighten things out, he decided.

He honked his horn again and by the third honk, Massie came out of the house with her parents trailing behind her.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Blair squealed. She stepped out of the car and ran to her grandparents who, too, were delighted to see their only grandchild.

Derrick lowered the front seat window and waved at Kendra and William Block. "Morning, Mr. and Mrs. B." He greeted with a broad smile.

"Good to see you, Derrick." William walked towards the car and shook hands with his almost-son-in-law. "By the way, congratulations with your big win against Boston."

Derrick laughed. "Thanks, Mr. B."

"William." He corrected him.

Derrick nodded understandingly. "William."

After a few more minutes of chatting, Massie and Blair eventually hopped inside Derrick's car and Derrick drove off the road with one last goodbye at Kendra and William.

Derrick gazed briefly at Massie and shook her head disapprovingly. "We're going on a picnic in the park, Massie. Not to attend Fashion Week." He mocked with a smirk.

Massie scowled at him and folded her arms across her chest. "Is it my fault that my secretary brought me this kind of clothes?"

She was wearing a pair of metallic red BCBG skinny jeans and a tan-colored DKNY turtleneck blouse which were hidden underneath an unbuttoned white Yves Saint Laurent overcoat. Her black suede Dior pumps was practically practical for the day.

Derrick chuckled, amused by Massie's expression and tone.

"I've missed that laugh." Massie slipped unconsciously and upon realizing what she has said, she slapped a hand over her mouth.

But it was too late. Derrick had heard her, loud and clear. "I've missed yours, too."

Derrick's hand which was tightly around the clutch, wound itself around Massie's hand which was on the top of her lap. Her hand tensed against his touch. Derrick searched Massie's eyes and when they found hers, Massie's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she pulled away and placed her hands inside her overcoat's pocket. Casually and without regret, Derrick wrapped his hands around the steering wheel and made a turn towards the familiar park where he and Massie once spent a wonderful night with each other.

Blair grinned at the back of her mom and dad after sensing hope of getting them back together.

***

"Mom!" Blair shouted, already annoyed. "Kick the ball _hard_!"

They have finished eating lunch and were playing soccer in the park by the swing after 15 minutes. It has already been 20 minutes but Massie couldn't kick a ball still.

And Derrick who was playing goalie was clearly enjoying himself. "Can't you see how high her heels are, Blair? Give your mother a break, honey. I told her to wear some more sensible clothes but I guess, she doesn't have those." He joked.

The ball was waiting impatiently at the foot of Massie for 5 minutes and she has had enough of Derrick and his insults. She was going to kick the ball and make it fly to the other side of the road, she told herself fervently. She gathered her strength in her right foot, got ready for a hard kick and hit the soccer ball with her foot with as much strength as she could collect. The ball flew towards Derrick who was ready to catch it but the ball was just too fast for him to catch it. But instead of running pass Derrick, the ball hit his privates. He fell to the ground and cried in pain.

"Oh, damn." Massie murmured, mostly to herself and ran to Derrick's side with Blair catching up behind her.

"Should I call 911, Mommy?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"No, no. They'll laugh at your dad if you'll call them for an innocent accident." She was trying to suppress her laughter.

"Are you mocking me?" Derrick choked.

Massie shook her head but turned to Blair to chuckle silently. "Get your dad some ice, sweetie."

Blair nodded and left them with a grin.

"C'mon, soccer cap," Massie placed her arms around Derrick shoulder and helped him up. "Let's get you up." She helped him get to the swing and sit.

Only then that she realized that she brought him to the exact place where they've lost their virginity to each other.

When Massie sat on his other side, she saw Blair walking towards them but saw a good-looking boy about her age, she stopped and they talked with each other. Actually, they were flirting with each other.

"Who's that boy?" Massie asked Derrick, pointing her chin towards Blair and the boy she was laughing with.

Derrick followed her gaze and sighed. "That's Nate Markus. His parents own Markus Bank downtown. Pretty loaded, that kid. And he's nice, too. He's Blair's lab partner and he would come home whenever they have a project."

"You like him." It wasn't a question but a statement.

Derrick laughed briefly. "He's a pretty good boy, Massie, but they're both too young. He actually reminds me of myself."

Massie smirked. "Hah. He's arrogant and bad-tempered, too?" She teased.

They both laughed and sighed.

"Massie, actually, there's something we need to straighten out." Derrick murmured seriously.

"That Nate Markus boy seems pretty nice. Maybe I should talk to him." Massie changed the subject and stood up to escape but Derrick grabbed her hand and he, too, stood up.

"Let's talk about us." He said.

Massie looked up and met his puppy dog eyes that she once fell in love to.

"Massie," Derrick began leaning forward but she leaned away a bit and tried to pull her hand away.

"Don't. Please don't. Tell me lies and keep the truth to yourself."

Derrick didn't listen to her. He tightened his grip on her. "Why, Massie, why? Why are you so reluctant? It would be foolish and dishonest to deny there is still something between us." He waited the space of a long heartbeat, and when she didn't deny it, he became more assured that he wasn't alone in what he was feeling. He cupped the back of her neck and drew her nearer. "I need to know. Just one real kiss to answer all our unanswered questions."

"Just one," she whispered. She watched his head dip toward her and opened her mouth. When his soft lips touched hers, her eyes drifted shut.

Hadn't she known, somewhere in the back of her mind, that this kiss was inevitable? Maybe as far back as the cold night she'd spun around and saw him walk up to her after an absence of ten years. Perhaps when he'd placed his hands on hers in the car. Surely when they were tied up with each other right on the spot where they first made love. She'd known.

And the knowledge had both frightened and excited her.

Their explorations were timid at first, a gentle coming together, a breathless sense of remembrance. His lips moved against hers slowly, testing, letting the recollections mount.

He tasted the same, she thought with shocked disbelief. Like forbidden desire, an indefinably rich, male taste. Could that be? Could she truly be recalling such a thing? Impossible. Yet she knew it was so.

Derrick drew back and watched her eyes flutter open, saw the astonished pleasure in their amber depths. He asked the silent question and read the answer in her unwavering gaze. They'd been foolish to think that one would be enough. He gathered her close and felt her arms slide up to his chest and encircle his neck.

This kiss was more impatient, the passion building as his tongue joined to mate with hers, and even their breathing seemed as one. His hands stroked her back, her slender ribcage through her heavy levels of clothes, and longed to creep under and touch bare flesh. But did not because he loved her so much.

Someone familiar cleared her throat. "Eww. You two should get a room." Blair said with a disgusted yet happy smile on her face.

Quickly and unwillingly, they pulled away from each other but Derrick kept a hand around her waist. They chuckled at her expression.

"I guess, you don't need ice anymore, do you, dad?" Blair teased, dropping the bag of ice on the grass and picked up the soccer ball. "So, what do you say about another game?"

Derrick faked-groaned. "No, hitting the private parts." And ran to Blair, picking her up and spinning her around.

Massie gazed lovingly at them and found herself touching her lips.

It tasted like Derrick's.

She then made a snap decision. She had to tell him the truth sooner than later for his own good.

Well, perhaps tomorrow would do.

Massie ran to Derrick and Blair and joined their little tickling game.

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**I want more than 30 reviews, okay? Haha. Please and thank you. Can you guess what Massie's secret that she haven't told anyone in Westchester yet? Review me if you do. I'd like to know your guesses :-) And see if one fits.**


	6. Author's Note

**Agh!! I heart you all!! *flying kisses* Thanks for the ah-mazing reviews and I enjoyed reading them all. Actually, if I have a lot of free time, I would reply to each review. LOL. But, I don't so I wrote this Author's Note to answer all your questions considering that most of you asked the same things.**

_**Q: Is Massie engaged? Is it Derrick?  
**_**A: Hah. If I tell you the secret now, it wouldn't be a secret, right? LOL. But she and Derrick are not engaged. Yet. Haha.**

_**Q: Are Massie and Derrick getting back together?  
**_**A: Well, let's leave that to them and fate. After all, I'm just the writer. I still have to confide with the characters. If you want them back together, keep your fingers crossed, guys. *wink***

_**Q: Is Blair not Derrick's child?  
**_**A: She is **_**his **_**biological daughter.**

_**Q: What did you mean by Mr. B's son-in-law?  
**_**A: I guess I didn't explain that part more. See, Massie and Derrick were supposed to get married after she gave birth but Massie escaped to New York so that makes Derrick Mr. and Mrs. Block's **_**almost-son-in-law**_**.**

_**Q: What did Alicia mean by 'at the spa'?  
**_**A: The PC were at her spa. She has her own spa at her home.**

_**Q: Is Massie married to an abusive guy?  
**_**A: No, she's definitely not.**

**If I have unanswered one of your questions or if you have more in mind, just leave a review, 'kay? Thanks. BTW, the 6****th**** chapter will be posted tomorrow.:-)**


	7. Chapter 6

**I do not own anything.**

**

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The vigorous ringing of the her iPhone woke Massie up the next morning. Cursing under her breath, she rolled towards the bedside table and peeked at the goddamn phone's screen.

Brent Warner. Again.

He has been calling her since yesterday but Massie wasn't ready to face him yet. Let alone tell Derrick and Blair.

Thinking of Derrick and Blair made Massie smile. No other woman in the world could be as lucky as her when it comes to the people who loves her. But her only worry was if she deserved those kind of people.

Massie groaned guiltily, got up and walked towards the bathroom to take a warm shower. When she dried up and finished, the phone was still ringing and it was still from the same caller. She turned her back and continued putting on a pair of Ralph Lauren cut-offs, a long-sleeved navy blue Michael Kors shirt, and a pair of lavender suede criss-cross Calvin Klein wedges. after pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she hurried downstairs to eat her breakfast. She ate a piece of French toast, drank a bottle of orange juice, chatted for awhile with Inez then went back up to her room to get her unfinished work done.

***

Upon sending the last file to Annie, her iPhone rang, startling her.

She looked at the screen to see who the caller was and leaned back against the chair as she answered. "Hi, Dyl."

"Hey, Mass." Dylan said. "You busy right now?"

"Just e-mailed some files to the office. You?"

"Mrs. Plovert, you're up on ten minutes." Someone said, answering Massie's question for Dylan.

"Thanks, Finn." Dylan said with a sigh. "Guess, that answers your question." She said to Massie who chuckled.

"Yeah, it does."

"Anyways, I'm having a get-together party at my house tonight. You know, just us and the guys. You and Derrick coming?"

Massien was distracted by the vibrating beep coming out from her phone. She checked who the caller was and practicallly squealed in her head. "Hold on to that thought, Dyl. Derrick's on the other line." She sat straighter and answered the other call. "Block." She pretended that she didn't know who was calling her.

"Hey, Block. It's Derrick." He's calling her 'Block' again. Cute!

"Oh, hi." She smiled at the nonchalance of her voice. "So, what's in your mind, soccer cap?" She giggled at her own cute nickname for him.

Derrick, too, laughed. "I was just wondering if you;d like to have dinner with me tonight. You know, _alone._" He emphasized the last word.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Well, yeah, I am." He let out one anxious laugh then waited for Massie to respond.

She mulled this over. If she goes out with Derrick tonight, anyone who knows about them in Westchester wouldn't get hurt. At least. It wouldn't be like one hot date. It would just be like their dates before. Just one, innocent date.

"Um," Massie began to say. "pick me up at 6?"

"Yes!" Derrick rejoiced out loud and cleared his throat when he realized what he just did. "Er, you weren't supposed to hear that. Well, 6 it is. Dress nice." He reminded her sarcastically.

"Puh-lease. As if I already don't."

He chuckled. "Bye, Block. I'll be at your doorstep at 6pm sharp."

She, too, chuckled. "I'll be the lady coming out from the door at 6pm sharp." Then, they hung up.

Massie rose from the chair, grabbed a white Armani overcoat, shoved her hands in a pair of black Chanel gloves, then yanked her bag and keys from the bed.

She had to get to the mall _asap_.

Tonight will be the night that Massie Block tells Derrick Harrington the truth. And in order for her to do that flawlessly, she needed the perfect floor-length dress and a pair of good stilettos.

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**I hate cliffies but I had no choice. I couldn't decide on what Massie would be wearing for her big date with Derrick. She says it'll just be "one, innocent date" but that's not what Derrick has in mind. LOL. That's all I'm saying. Anyways, I know that all of us are dying to know what will happen in their date, I'm pretty excited, too. So, in order for me to post that chapter, guys, I need your help. I posted a poll in my profile, please vote ASAP. How stunning Massie will look tonight will depend on your votes so, vote wisely and Massie-ly! Haha. Love the new word. You get the idea.:-)**

**REVIEWS!  
**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys. Our school's Intramurals just finished last Thursday and during those past days, I've been busy practicing for the event. That's why I haven't updated sooner. **

**Thanks for all those who reviewed, added me to your Favorite lists, and alerted either **_**moi **_**or my story. I want to give a shoutout to for helping me choose the perfect dress for Massie. Therefore, I dedicate this chapter to her, my beta. You're the best, . Kudos to you.:-)**

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 7

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Massie demanded for the fifth time.

They were already in the deeper part of the town. Derrick was driving on the begotten road of Westchester where only adventurers and tourists use when they look for exotic sceneries fit for documentaries. But what would a guy in a tux and a woman in a cocktail dress **(A/N: For a better and concrete view of Massie's dress, please visit my profile) **do in this kind of place?

"Ehmagawd!" Massie shrieked, facing Derrick. "Is this where you will kill me? You're going to feed me to the bears, aren't you?"

Derrick, who tried to keep a straight face to hide the surprise from Massie, had to laugh at that. "There are no bears in Westchester, Block."

Massie shrugged sarcastically. "I'm sorry but the first thing that would come into my mind when I'm being driven to the scariest part of the town with someone who wouldn't give the teensiest hint of where he's taking me is to be fed to a bear."

Derrick ignored her. "We're here." He cut the engine off when they've reached the end of the road. He got out and opened the door for Massie.

Massie looked around and found nothing else other than trees, trees, and more trees. Derrick, thinking Massie was following him, began to walk towards the forest but stopped and looked back to find Massie hesitating by the front door.

Derrick held out his hand, smiling encouragingly. "Don't worry, Block. I wouldn't let anything hurt you." He assured her.

Of course, Massie thought. How stupid of her to think of Derrick harming her!

Trusting him, Massie slowly walked towards him and took his warm hand. "Of course, I know that." She murmured.

He planted a kiss on top of her hand and led her towards the invisible path.

They've been walking for almost three minutes when Derrick skidded to a halt and whispered to Massie, "Block, look there." He pointed forward with his free hand.

Massie was too preoccupied with not tripping over something that she didn't notice where they were going. She followed Derrick's gaze and she all but gasped at the wonderful sight.

The streaming, placid river glistened under the moonlight sky. The stars were arranged in perfect order as if complementing the evening. The green Bermuda grass surrounding the body of water was rick with floral flowers of different colors—red, white, lilac, yellow and orange. But that wasn't the main reason why Massie had to blink a couple of times to believe it to be real.

A square table covered by a red table cloth with two matching chairs was stationed beside the riverbank. On top of the table were golden plates, wine glasses, utensils, and of course, their meal—roasted chicken underneath a silver tray, Caesar's salad, mashed potato, and a bottle of the best wine. The whole place was lit up by lanterns hung on the tree branches. There was a path of candles for them to take to reach their "table".

It was the perfect set-up for a perfect date.

Derrick waited patiently for Massie to speak but when she didn't, he said, "Do you like it? I mean, I could have added more lanterns, and if I had more time, I would have ordered every dish on the menu of—"

Massie jumped to him and kissed him on the lips, shutting him up. After a full minute, she pulled away but bumped her forehead against Derrick's. "No one could ever dream of a more perfect date than this."

Derrick chuckled, touching Massie's cheek with his hand. "If I knew that you would respond to me this way, I would have dyed the river gold and hired the Black Eye Peas to sing."

Massie rolled her eyes and tugged him towards their table. "Shut up."

Derrick laughed again. "Will do." He pulled the chair for Massie like a gentleman and sat opposite her.

They began eating the food on the table, drank the wine, chatted and laughed.

"You know what's the only thing missing here?" Derrick asked mysteriously.

Massie looked around, searching for the only thing missing but couldn't come up of any. Giving up, she turned her head back to Derrick and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He cracked a mischievous grin, rose up from his chair, and walked to her. "A dance." Pulling her into dance position, he whirled her around.

She giggled, whether from his cockiness or from the two brandies she consumed, she wasn't sure. "We can't dance without music, smarty-pants."

Again, he smiled wickedly. "Who said we don't?" He cleared his throat and began singing.

_Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away_

_Now it looks as though they're here to stay_

_Oh, I believe in yesterday_

_Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be_

_There's a shadow hanging over me._

_Oh, I yesterday came suddenly_

_Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say_

_I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday_

_Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play_

_Now I need a place to hide away_

_Oh, I believe in yesterday_

_Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say_

_I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday_

_Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play_

_Now I need a place to hide away_

_Oh, I believe in yesterday_

_Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm_

Everything was quiet after that. Only the sound of the river, and the whooshing of the wind were heard. Derrick searched Massie's eyes and when they met hers, they shared the same thoughts.

Their friendship since grade school...their courtship during middle school…their first date during freshmen year in high school…their first real kiss under the maple tree beside his house during sophomore year…their first drive in his car during junior year…their prom when they were named as King and Queen during senior year…the homecoming soccer game…their first real night after Alicia's party…

And then, other things; what _could _have been and what _should _have been. Everything would be perfect if only she stayed…

"Block, have you thought of what should have been if only you stayed?" He whispered, twisting a strand of Massie's hair.

So, his thoughts were in line with hers, she thought.

Massie nodded. "Yes. Every day. But what's done is done, Derrick. It cannot be altered. You've got your own life and I've got mine. The way I look at it, we don't need each other to be happier." She knew it was a lie but it was the only way to tell him the truth without hurting him too much.

Her words wounded Derrick's heart. "I know you don't believe in that, Block." His arms curled to her back, pulling her close to him until their lips were less than an inch apart.

"Please don't. I know where this will lead us if we allow our hormones to take over and it will only aggravate the situation more." She resisted.

But Derrick did not listen.

His lips were crushing hers already. Massie was trying not to kiss him back at first but she found it difficult to endure the feeling she still had for him. She kissed him back with as much passion. After a few seconds, she impatiently unbuttoned his jacket, while his hands slowly unzipped her dress.

Just a small, innocent date, huh, Massie?

**Okay, first thing's first. The song which Derrick sang to Massie is entitled "Yesterday" by the Beatles. **

**For a better and a more concrete view of Massie's dress, check out the link on my profile. The next chapter will be uploaded this evening because I have a limited time right now. See, I'm in school.**

**I want more than 10 reviews, okay? Review to keep me going.:-)) **


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry if I wasn't able to update earlier as I have promised because I've been busy with school and some other stuff. School just started last Tuesday and, God, who could imagine the load of homeworks these teachers are dumping on us! Ugh. **

**Reading your reviews made my day, though. And my smile even broadened when I knew that some of you cannot wait for Brent Warner to reveal his identity. The suspense must be killing you, eh? Anyways, Don't worry. I'm not gonna disappoint you, dearies. We will be officially meeting Brent Warner in this chapter. By officially, I mean not just glimpses of his name through Massie's conscience. Okay, I'm done babbling.:))  
**

**I own nothing.

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Chapter 8

The bright rays of sunlight flooded down through the heavily tinted glass windows. The harmonic chirping of the humming birds and the sound of the flowing river echoed all throughout the forest, making beautiful music.

Massie stretched her body and felt her right foot hit something hard which made a loud, irritating sound that made her eyes flutter open at once. She found herself staring at a car's steering wheel then found herself wearing nothing but a familiar black jacket, covering her naked body. Her eyes trailed towards her hands which were placed on top of _his_ chiseled chest. Her head was nestled under _his_ neck. A pair of strong arms encircled her waist, making it impossible to move. Slowly and gently, she propped herself up on her elbow so she could see Derrick's face.

He looked so peaceful despite the loud noise Massie just made. His mouth was slightly opened, his hair was mussed, his eyes were angled as if he was smiling, his cheeks were flushed, his lips were red—all in all, he looked so damn handsome.

Massie tried to lift his foot up and it was caught between something, causing her pain. "Ow!" She yelped.

Upon hearing her shriek, Derrick woke up, startled. He saw Massie, struggling with the pain on her left foot. He pulled Massie up to his lap and held her hurt foot, examining it. "What happened?"

Massie swallowed a cry when he touched the part where it hurt so much. "I think it hit something when I tried to lift it up. Maybe it's just a cramp."

"I don't know." Derrick disagreed. "Does it still hurt?" He twisted her foot gently.

"Ow!" She cried.

"I'll bring you to the hospital. We'll have someone look at it." He said, placing Massie on the front seat. "That's one lesson we have to remember." He continued with a hint of humor.

"What?" Massie wasn't entirely paying attention. She was putting on her dress which she grabbed from the floor.

"Never have sex in a car." He stated, putting on his clothes.

They chuckled in agreement.

When Massie has finished putting on her dress and stilettos and when Derrick has finished calling his "cleaning crew" to clean up their table, Derrick started the car and hit the road.

As he drove to Massie's house, Massie eyed him from the corner of her eye. He looked so happy, holding Massie's hand and smiling at her from time to time. How could she break this amazing guy's heart? Could she actually tell him the truth? Or would she just shut her mouth and escaped to New York without any word to avoid hurting him? Either way, he will still get hurt and she will still feel bad in the end.

Oh, how complicated things became!

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Derrick." She thanked him with a genuine smile when he pulled over her house. "I really enjoyed it."

He chuckled. "Well, that was the plan." He joked. "But, seriously, Block, I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for everything. For making me feel whole again. I'll call you later."

Massie nodded, feeling a bit guilty. "Okay. Bye." She got out of his car and watched him drive away.

***

Massie entered her house quietly. She didn't want to wake up anyone, let alone her parents. But she didn't have to wake them up. They were already awake, waiting for her, when she went pass the door.

"Did you have a nice evening, dear?" Kendra asked her, smiling broadly. William was sitting beside her on the sofa, one arm around his wife's shoulder.

Massie cleared her throat. "Yes."

"I think 'nice' would be an understatement considering the mess of hair." William mocked, jerking his head towards Massie's unruly hair.

"Dad!" Massie blushed while she combed her hair with her fingers. "If you have no more corny jokes left, I would like to go up to my bed to rest." She said curtly.

"Not so fast, honey. We have one question. Just one." Kendra said.

Massie groaned but didn't argue. "Okay. But just one."

Her parents nodded and Kendra began to speak, "A Brent Warner has been calling the house since yesterday when you left. Around 8 last night, I answered one of his calls and he was looking for you. He told me that you haven't answered any of his calls and e-mails and he's beginning to worry. There's only one thing we want to know."

"Are you and Derrick getting back with each other?" William asked.

"No, Mom. No." Massie replied instantly.

They continued to stare at her skeptically.

"Okay." Massie said. "I don't know what's going to happen. Things right now aren't as easy as they were in the past. Derrick…um…knows that." She lied.

They weren't still convinced but did not press the issue further.

"Just be careful, Massie." William advised her. "We know that you'll do the right thing."

Yeah, like she knows what is right.

***

When Massie got out of the shower, she took a long time facing herself in front of the mirror, asking her reflection questions which she herself doesn't have any answers to. A few more minutes have passed until she rummaged for her phone inside her bag. She dialed Derrick's number and waited for him to pick up, drumming her fingers nervously on top of the counter.

"Hey, Block." He answered at the sixth ring.

"Meet me at the Westchester boulevard **(A/N: Yep. I made that up.) **in 30 minutes." She said hastily and ended the call even though Derrick was still saying something else.

She tossed the phone to her bag and started getting dressed. She ended up wearing a pair of Armani black skinny jeans, black Dior turtleneck, a navy blue Chanel leather trench coat, a pair of black BCBG leather wrist gloves, a purple Ralph Lauren scarf wrapped around her neck, a pair of black Louis Vuitton platform boots, and a Burberry beret on top of her head. She didn't even check herself in front of the mirror because she was in a hurry to get things done.

***

Massie placed a hand on top of her chest. Despite her endeavors of calming herself, she all but stood there on the sidewalk of the boulevard with her arms quivering and her legs trembling. How? How on earth could she tell Derrick Harrington the truth when she has madly fallen for him once again?

At the corner of her eye, she saw Derrick's car drive by and park beside her car across the sidewalk. She turned towards him and found him jogging towards her.

As soon as he reached her, he grabbed her by the waist and pressed his lips to hers as a form of passionate greeting. Concentrating on not getting carried away by the kiss, Massie quickly pulled away, disentangling Derrick's hands from her, leaving him confused.

Massie took a deep breath before she spoke. "Look, Derrick, I'm not gonna beat around the bushes anymore. There's something you need to know."

"Me first." Derrick interrupted.

Massie shook her head firmly. "No, no. You—"

"I love you, Massie." He interrupted her again. Massie was tongue-tied. "I still do. I have never stopped thinking of you. I have never stopped hoping you'd come back. I don't know why despite people telling me to move on and my attempts of moving on, you're still number one and the only one in here." He poked his heart once.

Derrick looked so vulnerable, so cute, so young and fresh, and so sweet, she thought.

"I feel the same way about you." Massie blurted out, acting on impulse.

Derrick smiled and slowly went down on one knee. He retrieved a tiny, black box from his front pocket and opened it.

A beautiful diamond ring nestled on the velvet cushions. Its diamonds glistening against the bright rays of sunlight. It looked so expensive yet there was some part of it which said it was a hand-me-down.

Ancient but exquisite.

Those puppy dog eyes Massie fell in love with looked up to meet her amber eyes.

"Massie Cornelia Block, will you marry me?" He asked.

Oh, how badly she wanted to say yes but…

Just in time Massie was about to answer him, a black Limo pulled over the corner of the then, a blond guy stepped out of the passenger's side.

"Massie, sweetheart." Brent Warner sighed in relief, walking towards her. "I've been looking all over town for you. You've got me so worried. I've missed you so much." He reached Massie and kissed her briefly on the lips. His eyes then fell on Derrick who was still down on one knee with a bewildered expression on his face. "Oh, and, this is...?" He asked, not entirely looking at Derrick yet still smiling so friendly.

Derrick stood up immediately. "Derrick─"

"Harrington." Brent finsihed his sentence for him after recognizing him. "Kodiaks, number 18, captain and star goalie. I'm a soccer fan, you see." He shrugged. "I was actually at your last game two weeks ago against Boston. Great save, by the way."

"Oh, really?" Derrick wasn't actually listening to him. He was staring intently at Massie who couldn't not to meet his questioning gaze and just stood there, fidgeting with one of her coat's buttons, in the middle of the two.

Brent sensed Massie's discomfort but acted oblivious towards it. "Yes. Anyway, my name is Brent Warner─" CEO of Warner Bros. Co, Derrick thought "─and I'm Massie's fiance."

_What the fuck?!_

_

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** So, did you like it? hate it? Sorry if I had to cut it here. I have reasons. **

**See, most of you guessed it right. Brent Warner is Massie Block's fiance. Sad.**

**Don't forget to review. Review more and more, okay? Haha.:))**


	10. Chapter 9

**Sigh. Once again, I've deserted you for awhile. School's been hectic and rather demanding my full attention. I can't seem to pry my concentration away from school even after school hours. There's this play festival everyone in school gets preoccupied with. Let's not talk about that. Haha. It adds up to the stress. All reviews made me happy, btw. Continue reviewing, 'kay?**

** I own nothing.

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**

Chapter 9

I'm Massie's fiancé."

That took Derrick off guard. _Fiancé? What? What the hell is this irritatingly well-mannered scumbag saying? _Derrick thought, bewildered. But despite the raging thoughts entering his mind, Derrick still held his composed face.

Instead, he put on a fake smile as if he was glad for the 'couple'. "Congratulations. I'm so happy"―silent gulp―"for you two. How long have you been together?"

Brent chuckled, pulling Massie closer to his side. "Two years and three months, exactly. Just found the time to propose last month."

Derrick scoffed mentally. "Really? When's the wedding?"

"Next week." Brent announced promptly with a happy smile.

Next week, Derrick thought heatedly. He once again searched for Massie's eyes. But still, she avoided his and continued to look down at her feet. So this was the thing she wanted to tell him earlier. Not that it would matter if he allowed her to speak out first. He would still feel the throbbing ache in his heart which was caused by the truth that she lied to him and he allowed himself to fall into her spell for the second time around. But that kind of pain couldn't be compared to the pain that inflicted him whenever she would look away. After all the things they've been through these past few days, she couldn't look at him and explain.

Brent had to break the awkward yet heated silence. He knew that the two needed privacy. "So, um, it was fun chatting with you, Derrick, but I really have to leave immediately. I still need to meet someone who coincidentally lives here." He lied and they knew that. He shook hands with Derrick who did not say anything but just shook hands with him, too, in silence. "Call me if you're ready to leave Westchester." He murmured to Massie and kissed her cheek.

Massie watched him walk towards his car and disappear. And then, looked back to Derrick without meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry. I have to leave. Goodbye." She began to turn away when he stopped her by grabbing her hand.

That touch brought electricity to their veins.

"So, that's it, huh, Massie? 'I'm sorry. I have to leave. Goodbye'?" He quoted her, his voice rising. "After last night, you'll just walk away without even looking me straight in the eyes as if nothing happened?" He roared, unconsciously tightening his grip on her.

Massie flinched from the pain of his touch. "Derrick, stop. You're hurting me."

He realized he was holding her arm too hard then released her after sucking in deep breaths. "I don't care if you'll get married in just a week. A week is enough to change your mind and marry me instead. I don't give a damn if I have to quit soccer so that Blair and I could move into New York to be with you. I'll call Coach Kelsey right this minute if you say yes. You and Blair are moe important than anything in this world to me. Just say yes, Massie, just say yes. It's never too late." He held her hand and planted a kiss on her palm.

She pulled her hand away slowly. "It's over, Derrick. We can't be together."

Derrick's eyes widened in shock. "What about last night? We'll just forget about it? You know we're both incapable of doing that."

Massie closed her eyes to hold back tears. She knew that what she was about to say will hurt him so badly but it was the only way for him to let go. She opened her eyes and was expressionless. "Last night was all about sex and having fun. It doesn't matter now."

Derrick just stared at her.

"I don't love you anymore, Derrick. These past few days were just lies. The truth is I love Brent and I'm going to marry him. We were already done in the past. There's nothing more to say." She paced towards her car, got in and started the engine. For the last time, she glanced back to Derrick who fell on both his knees, facing down with his face hidden beneath his palms.

She whispered with tears clouding her vision. "I love you. You alone, no one else. Forever and always."

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**I can't say that I enjoyed writing this chapter. I was writing this chapter in my bedroom, then I had to pause during the part where Derrick said he'd rather quit the thing he loves the most just to be with Massie and Blair in NY. And I literally cried when Massie whispered to him 'I love you' but of course, he didn't hear her say it. I guess we've seen Derrick's vulnerable side here.**

**Review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the reviews. **

**I own nothing.

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**

Chapter 10

After leaving the boulevard, Massie called Brent up to meet her at the Slice Of Heaven for something cold to drink. They talked―actually, he talked―while she remained silent and just made necessary comments when they were needed. They went to Massie's house afterward for Massie to get her stuff and for Brent to meet her parents. It was a bit awkward when they emerged through the entrance door and were greeted by two pairs of puzzled eyes. But of course, they welcomed Brent warmly and with hospitality. After they have made the required introductions, Massie went up to her bedroom to pack.

All throughout her packing, she didn't allow herself to breakdown because she knew that it was the last thing she needed: going catatonic. When she had finished shoving her clothes inside the Louis Vuitton bags, she changed into a new set of clothes: a pair of white Calvin Klein skinny jeans tucked inside a pair of brown leather knee-high platform boots, a long-sleeved gray-knit Dolce&Gabbana sweater, and a red Chanel leather jacket. She grabbed her bags and went down stairs to join the others who were chatting in the living room.

"I'm done packing." She announced.

Brent stood up and went to get Massie's luggages. "I'll wait for you in the car." He kissed her on the cheeked and bid her parents a goodbye.

When Brent was out of sight, Kendra and William smiled up at Massie who was waiting for the yelling and the scolding.

But she wasn't getting anything rebuking from her parents. They just grinned at her in silence, waiting.

The silence stretched into a minute.

"Please say something." Massie finally broke in.

"I don't know what to say." Kendra said.  
"Maybe 'You're an ungrateful daughter for deceiving us like that' or yell things at me. I wouldn't mind since I deserve it." Massie said.

"You want us to yell at you?" William asked.

"That would be better than smiling angelically at me as if I've done nothing wrong!" Massie shouted, fury building up inside of her trembling frame.

Kendra stood up and went to give Massie a soothing hug. "You've done nothing wrong, honey. You're of the right age and we can see that you are capable of taking care of yourself and making your own decisions. After all, Brent seems a pretty nice and decent guy." She winked at her, making Massie blush.

"And knows a lot, too." William laughed shortly. He, too, stood up. "But that's not what's important. Well, yes, it's important, too, if your husband is―"

"William!" Kendra hissed, throwing him a reproving look.

"Oh, alright." William said, remembering what he was supposed to say. "What I was trying to say, Massie, your happiness is more important than anything. Are you happy with Brent?"

Massie didn't answer. _Am I?_ She thought.

"Wait a second." Kendra murmured. "Does Derrick know?"

Massie answered after a pause. "I was about to tell him this morning when he suddenly went down on one knee and proposed. And before I could answer or tell him, Brent found me."

Kendra gasped. "Oh, no. Oh, dear."

William shook his head, as if sharing the pain of Derrick. "Poor boy."

"So, what happened next?" Kendra and William said simultaneously.

Massie sighed angrily. "Let's not talk about it any further. As you said, I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions and I will live them whole-heartedly." She started for the door. "I'll call you when I get home. And I'll have my secretary send you wedding invitations. Bye." She said quietly to them before she closed the door behind her.

"Ready to go, sweetie?" Brent asked, a bit concerned, when Massie got in the Limo.

Massie nodded. "But before we leave, I just need to drop by somewhere. Just for awhile."

"Whatever you want, dear." He smiled and held her hand. He knew better than to ask her why.

Matt, the limo driver, followed Massie's instruction and drove towards Derrick Harrington's house. Massie gave Brent a quick peck on the cheek before she stepped out. She spotted Blair and caught up with her.

Blair heard footsteps when her hand touched the doorknob. She glanced back, only to find her Mom running breathlessly towards her in heels.

She waited for her to reach her and gave Massie a warm hug. "Hi, Mom. Weren't you with Daddy this morning?"

_So, Derrick hasn't come home yet_, Massie thought. Massie squeezed her. "Hi, sweetie. I need to talk to you. Now."

Blair nodded. "But can we do it inside? It's freezing out here." She complained, rubbing her hand vigorously.

Massie agreed and they went inside to the living room. They sat on the couch and Blair was about to call their housemaid when Massie broke the news. "Blair, I'm leaving today."

Blair's eyes widened in shock. "What? You're leaving? I thought you were planning to stay here for good. Did you and daddy fight again? Oh, mom, it'll pass. There's no need to―"

"It's not him, honey. It's me." She interrupted her. "It's more difficult than it seems, Blair, but you'll understand _someday_ when you have to make choices for yourself."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Mom, I don't want you to leave. After all, you only got here. Give it a chance. Please." She begged. "I don't wanna lose you again."

Massie wrapped her arms around her tiny body. "I don't want that to happen, too. Believe me, Blair. Leaving is the last thing I want to do. But it's for your own good and everyone else's good. And besides, it's not like we're not going to see each other anymore. But not right now when things are still complicated."

Massie let go of Blair and stood up. "I have to go now." Blair, too, stood up. "Be a good girl. Do well in school and take care of Daddy, okay?" She hugged her again and kissed her forehead. "I love you." She turned her back and blew her only child a kiss before closing the door before her.

She made her way to the limo with her head facing the ground. She tried her hardest to bag all the sadness and the frustrations away and has decided to ignore those forever. She stepped inside and told the driver to drive on. She, then, took Brent's hand into hers.

He placed his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "You okay, dear?"

She brought down his lips to hers and he eagerly responded to her move.

_I will be happy. _

She hoped it was true.

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**Sigh. I feel bad. But let's just see what happens next. Well, it depends on YOU exactly. So, here's the question of the day: After this chapter, DERRICK or BRENT? Do you think Massie made the right decision, going off with Brent and leaving Derrick behind? You must have to admit that Brent seems pretty nice and romantic. Will we open our hearts for this new prince in Massie's life or will we be MASSINGTON all the way? Review, please. Their future depends on you. **


	12. Chapter 11

**I'm at home, sick. For three friggin' days now. Ugh.  
**

**I've been meaning to finish this story **_**fast**_** so that I could start another one. See, I have lots of ideas inside my head but I just don't know what to write first. Btw, thank you for all the reviews. And since, almost everyone voted MASSINGTON, well, here goes. And, if you're wondering why she left and didn't accept Derrick's proposal, Massie will explain it all in this chap.**

**I own nothing.

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**

Chapter 11

Massie Block angled her chair 45 degrees to the left and leaned back against it. She was facing the huge glass window in her office which had the very best view of Central Park. The prominent 800-acre recreational park was mobbed by people, from infants to grandparents who probably have a hundred grandchildren and great-grandkids. But despite the fact that it was freezing out there─since it was in the middle of December and the amount of snow increases every single freaking days─the streets of New York City were packed with groups of people who didn't seem to mind that fact.

If she was in a good mood, she would have been out there in that jam-packed stores from Anne Klein to Yves Saint Laurent, shopping for new clothes and for Christmas presents. But she wasn't in a good mood, so she just stayed in the four walls of her bright, spacious office, watching the other people go one with their business below.

It has been three days since she left Westchester. She had made herself a promise that she would be happy with Brent Warner, her fiancé. _Why on earth am I kidding myself? _She thought furiously with her eyes closed. _How could I live through one day without a single thought of Blair and _him_? _Oh, how she vividly remembered Derrick on his knees in the sidewalk of the boulevard after she left him there in pieces. _Can I actually love Brent the way I love Derrick?_

She knew the answer was no.

Quickly, she opened her eyes when she heard Annie knock at her door.

She let her in.

Annie entered her office, bringing Massie's cup of coffee and a few papers. She placed them on top of her table and stood, staring at Massie intently.

She has been working with her long enough to know all her secrets and build a friendship with her boss. She even knew how Massie felt without asking her.

"You look worn out, Massie. What's wrong?" She asked, her voice full of concern and worry.

Massie buried her face beneath her hands. "Remember the guy I told you about? The father of my child?"

Annie nodded and Massie told her everything that has happened. From her arrival to her departure. She didn't leave anything unsaid and let it all out. Annie just listened to her.

"And now, I don't know what to do. Oh, Annie, I'm so confused. I think I could never love anyone as much as I love him. I think I can't love anymore." She confessed. "I feel so weak, so vulnerable. It's like I'm gonna combust one of these days."

She placed her hands on her shoulders. "And you sure will. You look awful. When was the last time you slept well?"

Massie shrugged. "I don't know. Three or four days ago, I think. I honestly can't sleep during these past three nights. I've tossed and turned and fought the covers all night. Every time I close my eyes, a picture of him in the boulevard pops into my mind, followed by Blair's, her eyes pleading for me to stay with her. I've hurt them so many times now. I've wanted so badly to run away but here I am, regretting that decision."

"And tormenting every inch of what's left in you." Annie added. "Look, Massie, from what I just heard from you and from what I see, you still love him. Now, what I'm confused of is why you left him."

"For his own good." Massie answered briefly.

"Can you care to elaborate?" Annie requested.

Massie sighed, heaving herself off the chair and paced back and forth to clear her mind. She tried to think straight, search for the perfect words. "I was afraid, Annie. I was afraid that maybe I'm not exactly the perfect wife for him, the perfect mother for Blair. I was afraid that in time he'll realize that he made a mistake of marrying me and then, he'll leave me. I don't know if I can take that kind of rejection." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "It was so stupid of me to come back to Westchester. I should have left as soon as I can. Now, things are just worse than they were before."

"But you didn't leave, Massie." Annie tried to let her sit but she was just as stubborn as a mule. "Now, I want to know why and what kept you from leaving." She demanded.

Massie stopped pacing and looked at the woman who was her first friend she could confide her problems to since she arrived New York City ten years ago. She could see that Annie was concerned of her situation now. But she couldn't speak even though the words were already at the tip of her tongue.

Annie took tiny steps towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you still love him?"

Massie flung her arms around her friend. "Oh, Annie. I love him. I love him and Blair so much that all I can think of is going away for their own good. I know that they may not understand or you may think I'm crazy for thinking that but I really am not capable of commitments."

"But how about Brent? You're marrying him, aren't you? That's still a commitment." Annie said, confusion in her eyes.

Massie shook her head. "It's more like a business proposition. I don't see it as a commitment and neither does he. But it's different with Derrick. He deserves someone better and so does Blair. They don't deserve someone like me who can't even live up her decisions. They don't deserve a coward like me."

Annie enveloped her in her arms. "Oh, Massie. You're not a coward. That's the craziest thing you've ever said. A coward doesn't live through ten years without anyone but herself. A coward doesn't earn a multi-million dollar company. And definitely, you're not a coward."  
Massie sniffed. "Thank you, Annie. But I can't do anything more. I've hurt a lot of people. It's too late."  
"It's never too late, Massie. You're a great person with a vibrant personality. You _are _capable of loving and making and sticking to commitments. They deserve someone so beautiful, not just in the outside but also in the inside. And that's you, Massie." She guided Massie to her chair and let her sit. "Now, listen to me. Go to Brent right now and tell him everything. He's a good person and I know that he'll understand you. Cancel your wedding then drive to Westchester. Find Derrick. No matter where you find him, whether in the streets, in his car, in his house or even in his bathroom, tell him how much you love him and kiss the crap out of him."

Massie wiped her tears with her sleeve and smiled. "You're right."

Annie shrugged. "I always am."

Massie stood up from the chair, gathered her bag and coat and left her office, blowing a kiss to Annie.

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**Originally, I didn't plan this 'scene' with Massie and Annie to be **_**this **_**long. Massie needed this. She needed someone to kick some sense in her and Annie was fit for the job. Don't worry. I'm uploading the second half **_**now. **_

**REVIEW, okay?**


	13. Chapter 12

**The next chapter as promised.:)  
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**I own nothing.**

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Chapter 12

"Is he inside?" Massie asked Brent's secretary, Jill, when she arrived at his office.

Jill looked up, startled. But then she nodded. "He just got out from a meeting. Do you want me to tell him you're here?"

Massie shook her head, her hand already on the doorknob of Brent's office. "No, I'll let myself in." And she did.

Brent was behind his desk. He looked magnificent, as usual, in his tux. He was signing a piece of paper when Massie came in. He stood up and met Massie halfway, surprised.

"Massie, dear." He kissed both of her cheeks. "This is definitely a surprise. You should have told me that you were coming so that I could have arranged to meet you outside then we could have lunch."

"No, no." She shook her head when he offered her a seat. "I'd be more comfortable standing. I just need to talk to you."

"Oh," Brent murmured. "Alright, then. What is it? Is it about the wedding?"

"Yes, actually." She stepped closer and took his hand. "Brent, I'm calling it off."

He didn't look taken aback by what she said. It was like he was expecting it. But he didn't say anything.

They just stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, the silence stretching farther and farther.

"Say something, please." Massie nearly begged.

Finally, Brent's lips twisted into a smile. "Actually, I was just waiting for you to be mauled by your senses."

Massie's eyebrow curled upward in confusion. She let go of his hands abruptly. "What?"

Brent startled her the more when he laughed. "Come on, Massie. I'm not stupid. I know that you love _him_. Not me. I've noticed it since the beginning. From the day we met at my uncle's party and until now, even. Every time I touch you, there's always some resistance in you. It's as if you're holding back because you're afraid to love someone else when there is only one person there in your heart." He held Massie's hands. "Massie, I've known since the day you told me that you have a daughter back home and when you told me about Harrington. I've known for a very long time that you still love him because whenever I mention the word 'soccer', you flinch. And I knew that it makes you remember him, that's why you don't come with me whenever I watch a soccer game. I knew that day in the boulevard. I _knew _that there could never be anyone else. And I respect that." And he added after a pause, "But you cannot blame me for trying, though." He let out a short, strained chuckle.

Massie caressed his cheek with her free hand. Indeed, Annie was right. Brent was a good person. How can she hurt him?

"I tried, too. Honestly." Massie said with genuine honesty. "It's not that I don't love you. I tried to love you, Brent, and there was a time when I did. But then again, I can never love anyone aside from him. I'm so sorry, Brent. You've been so good to me." She stepped closer and cried on his shoulder. "I can't just walk away from you like this."

He stroked her hair gently. "I'll be waiting in the wings, Massie. I promise you that I'll always be beside you whenever you need someone. Always remember that you still have someone other than Harrington who loves you."

"I know that." And it occurred to her that Brent actually loved her. Their marriage isn't just a business proposition for him. He really loved her.

Massie gently lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. It was a thank-you-for-everything-you-have-done-for-me-i-don't-know-how-to-repay-you kiss.

Swiftly, Brent pulled away, not meeting Massie's amber eyes. He cleared his throat. "Now, go before I change my mind of letting you get away."

Massie smiled and kissed his lips briefly once more then turned her back and disappeared after the door, leaving Brent alone.

And the realization just hit him.

_I just let the only girl I truly love get away, _he thought.

But then he smiled, knowing that wherever Massie was happy, he will be there, too. Just as happy.

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**Short, I know. But if I included this in the previous chapter, it would be so long. Okay. In this chapter, you have to admit, Brent really is a great guy. I like him. Haha. If Massie won't have him, I will.:)))))**

**If you've reviewed already, please leave one still. Your reviews are very much appreciated by the author.  
**


	14. Chapter 13

**I guess I'm really determined on finishing this story. I didn't feel good leaving you, my loyal readers and reviewers, on the edge of the cliff. So, I give you the next chapter. I'm really going to need a lot of reviews, okay?  
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**I own nothing.**

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Chapter 13

As soon as she entered the vicinity of Westchester, she reached for her iPhone in her Kate Spade bag and dialed Alicia Hotz's number.

"Massie?" She asked incredulously.

"Hey, Leesh. Yeah, it's me." Massie replied, fixing her eyes on the road. "I'm in Westchester."

Alicia squealed. "Goody! Yay! You're here. Me and the girls and Blair are here at the soccer stadium. The guys have a game tonight. Derrick's here." _Of course_, Massie thought. "They're still in the lockers, though. And the game doesn't start in ten minutes."

"Okay. I'm coming." She hung up before Alicia could say anything else. Massie then called Derrick.

He answered at the fourth ring.

"Hello?" He must have deleted her number or he simply didn't glance at the screen of his phone before answering because he didn't know who was calling.

"Derrick, it's me."  
At the first sound of her voice, Derrick knew it was Massie Block at the other end of the line. He pretended that his heart didn't skip a beat when she said his name.

"I don't have anything to say to you." His voice was ice cold.

"But I have." She kept her voice straight and firm. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, for leaving you. Coming back wasn't my plan. Claire called my P.A. and she told her that Mom's sick and that she wanted me to be here with her. So, I came back with no intention of staying long. I just wanted to see mother and see if he and dad are okay. So, then I find out the truth that she's not sick and that Claire lured me back here in favor to Blair who begged her for me to come to her birthday. Claire also asked me to come to the party so I did come. And you know the rest." I said, remembering our brawl that night outside Claire and Cam's home.

He was just quiet but she could hear him breathing so she continued. "I never planned on falling for you again and for leading you on. I never planned on seducing you, if that's how you may put it. I never planned on lying to you but please, Derrick, believe that I never intended for you to get hurt. I wanted so badly to tell you sooner but as time passed by, I became more and more drawn to you. I love you, Derrick. I always have and I always will."

To Massie's surprise, he snorted. "Lie all you want, Massie Block, because this time I won't believe you anymore. Everything you said that day on the boulevard is still perfectly clear to me and I remember every single word you said. So no matter what you say, I'm not going to believe you." He said crossly.

That punched a whole in Massie's heart. "Derrick, listen." She pleaded, almost in tears. She bagged those tears inside. She couldn't afford crying right now. She was driving, for Pete's sake! She could get into an accident if her tears would begin clouding her vision. "I only told you those because I thought that you would never let me go and it was the only way for you to. I didn't mean it. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. After all I've done to you, I'm not surprise and I won't be if you won't still believe me."

"So if you think I'm not gonna believe you, then why bother to call me?" He asked in the same icy tone.

"I wanted you to know. You _have _to know the truth. And if you're not going to accept me back, then I'm not gonna force myself to you."

He thought about it for awhile. He had given her two options to choose from. "I think there's no way for you to erase what has already been done. You've left me once─twice," he amended,"and what guarantee have Blair and I that you won't do it again? So, goodbye, Massie Block." He hung up the phone then.

Massie was stunned. She expected him to be difficult but though expected, she still can't believe what he just said. Those words hurt every inch of her body like a snake's venom spreading in her. He will never forgive her, she realized. There was no way he could forgive her.

And that was the end of her charade, her self-control. She was shaking; her hands were trembling around the steering wheel which made her driving wobbly. Now, she could feel those sleepless nights and her empty stomach out of eating for days. She felt sick and nauseous. She felt like. . .fainting. Then, her phone rang, startling her. She glanced at it and found out it was Alicia. She was about to hit the button 'Answer' but it slipped from her fingers before she could press it against her ear. She bent down and looked for it. She was preoccupied with looking for her phone that she didn't see the car without headlights approaching her in full speed at the other side of the road. By the time she grabbed hold of her phone; the car has gone pass the other lane and was rushing to bump her Porsche. Acting on impulse, she steered the car to the right and hit a tree, instead. And because of the impact of the turn, the Porsche hit the tree so hard that witnesses thought it might fall down.

Inside the car, Massie's head bumped against the steering wheel so roughly that it caused her to bleed immediately.

But she was able to blink her eyes once. "Derrick," she whispered faintly. Then she fell unconscious.

***

Alicia rang Massie again but she still didn't pick up. _Maybe she's still driving, _she thought, shoving the phone in the front pocket of her coat. She then walked back down to the front row where the girls and Blair were.

"So, what did Massie say?" Dylan asked, her eyes fixed on the game at the field.

Alicia shrugged, taking her seat. "She didn't answer but I figured that maybe she's still driving or you know, busy."

"Mommy called?" Blair asked, eavesdropping.

"Well, yes, dear." Alicia answered. "She said she's coming here."

At first, Blair's eyes were full of anticipated joy but then they were vanished and in place of the exuberance was a look of sadness which she then shot to her father who was concentrating on the field.

Alicia knew what she was thinking and the other girls did, too.

"It'll be okay, Blair, it'll be okay." Claire soothed, rubbing Blair's shoulder.

On the field, Josh kicked the ball towards the other team's net and too bad for the Panther because their goalie, Drew Miller, wasn't quick enough to catch it. As soon as the Tomihawks scored, half of the crowd jumped up and cheered, yelled, howled and someone even sang the National Anthem.

"I love you, baby!" Alicia yelled after Josh who cart wheeled once then blew Alicia a kiss.

The pregnant gorge giggled and blushed. "He's so sweet."

The girls laughed at her expression, even Blair.

An hour has passed and the Tomihawks were five points up against the Panthers. The Panthers' fans were clearly disappointed unlike the Tomihawks' who were rejoicing and celebrating even if the game still hasn't finished yet.

"Go, Daddy!" Blair cheered-yelled when Joe Kelsey, a player from the Panthers, kicked the ball towards the Tomihawks goal but Derrick caught it before it hit the net. His movement was swift and flawless, truly a professional.

Everyone chorused in triumphant over the big win of the Tomihawks against the Panthers. The other team was already retreating towards their bench while the home team was lingering at the field. In the next seconds, they were sandwiched by their families, friends and fans. Derrick was lifted up in the air and hands were reaching out towards him, congratulating him for his big save. But the look on his face wasn't appropriate with this kind of aura. He looked somber. He gave them one forced smile and he was set back on the ground. The minute he was on his feet, her little girl ran towards him. She threw her arms around his waist and he carried her, spinning her around.

"Did Daddy do a great job tonight, baby?" He asked, tickling her.

Blair giggled. "Yes, of course. You were great, Daddy. You kicked that team's butt."

Derrick looked at his daughter's innocent eyes. "Let's not let anyone, especially your grandparents, hear you saying that word, okay?"

Blair nodded, winking. "It would be our secret." She whispered with a giggled.

He laughed and hugged her closer. Over Blair's shoulder, he saw Alicia and Josh, Cam and Claire, Dylan and Chris, and Kristen and Dempsey approaching them. They exchanged congratulations and hugs.

Seeing them—the PC—made him think of Massie Block. Oh, how it was so easy when they were young and dating. Nothing seemed so too complicated. Unlike now. Everything_ is _complicated. He wants to forget Massie, forget her at all, but he wants her back. He wants to forgive but not to forget. He pictured Massie in her usual absurd clothes, laughing and tossing her head with them. He could see her cold, demanding gaze in his mind. He could hear her sweet, authorative voice, calling his name. He could feel her soft, delicate skin against his. He could taste her sweet scent in his tongue. He closed his eyes and all he could see was the pair of amber eyes gazing lovingly at him.

But is he capable of forgiving her again? After what she has done to him?

He was too engrossed in his own thoughts and fantasies that he didn't realize that his friends, including Blair who was in Cam's back, were silent, gathered around Alicia who was on the phone. She had a pain stricken on her face. Derrick tried to catch up with her conversation but Alicia was already putting out her phone.

"What's wrong, Leesh?" Derrick asked. "You look like you got thrown to the lake of crocs."

He waited for someone to laugh at his joke but no one did. They were just looking at him with the same pained expression like Alicia.

"What's wrong?" He repeated, only now, his voice was demanding.

Josh walked up to him and placed his hand on Derrick's shoulder. "It's Massie, D. She had an accident. She's in a coma right now."

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**Did you like it? Now, Derrick's not that forgiving now, is he? **

**As I have said in the previous chapter, if you have reviewed already, please still leave a review. And take time reviewing.:))  
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	15. Chapter 14

**Christmas break! Oh, yeah! Two weeks! Oh, man! I'm gonna spend them on finishing this story. There's a new story that I'm co-authoring with iCarson. iRock your world. We haven't started writing it but we have agreed on what story. Haha. Guess. Massington, of course, silly. But that's all I'm gonna say. I'm really looking forward on writing with her. **

**Three more days to go before Christmas Eve! Yeah!XD  
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**The reviews for the previous chapters were ah-mazing. Lol.**

**I own nothing.  
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Chapter 14

The news of Massie's accident was followed by minutes of silence among the tiny circle in the middle of the field. Blair was staring at her dad's unfathomable expression, deciphering. It was as if she could she right through him. She could sense the pain, lurking beneath his unperturbed façade.

She walked over from Cam to Derrick and took his hand. He wrapped his arm around her instinctively.

"Now, what do we do?" Dylan broke the silence. "Are we going to the hospital or what?" And then, it was like Dylan's statement woke them up from their confused, troubled thoughts. They nodded and mumbled in agreement as they started for the parking lot.

The guys, forgetting that they were still in their sweaty uniforms, guided their wives towards their cars. Alicia, however, skidded to a halt a few steps away from Josh's red BMW convertible.

"Babe, you okay?" Josh went over to her side at once, wrapping one arm around her shoulder for support.

Alicia breathed heavily but nodded. "Remind me not to wear four-inch heels next time I'm pregnant." She joked, walking away to the front seat of the BMW.

Josh chuckled, following his pregnant wife. He got in the driver's seat and put on his seatbelts. "As if you'll ever listen to me." He muttered under his breath, pulling away from the car park after Derrick.

***

Derrick, Blair, Josh and Alicia were the last ones to arrive at the hospital. They went up to the 7th floor where Massie was stationed at and found the others lingering and waiting outside Room 850. As soon as they turned to the corner, Blair ran towards Kendra's arms and sobbed against each other's shoulder. Josh and Alicia went to soothe Kendra while William approached Derrick with a warm smile.

While Derrick and Massie were still dating back in the past, William and Kendra and, of course, Derrick's parents genuinely approved their relationship. Luther and Allegra Harrington have always been fond of Massie while William and Kendra were like second parents to Derrick. And that relationship didn't change even when they told their parents about Massie's sudden pregnancy. Even after Massie left them behind without a word, _that _relationship didn't change but grew stronger. Those ten years when he nurtured Blair without Massie, his parents were frequently out of the country for business trips and were only home for the Holidays. Instead, William and Kendra treated him as their son and helped him take care of Blair. They never treated him like the scumbag who knocked out their only daughter when she was nineteen. They treated him as family. They even made him call them 'Dad' and 'Mom'.

"Hello, Derrick." William greeted him, patting his shoulder twice.

"Hi, Dad." Derrick greeted back. "How is she?"

William sighed. "They haven't released the complete results of the tests yet. In fact, Dr. Jenkins is still inside performing more tests, seeing if she'll respond to any."

As if called, Dr. Greg Jenkins and two nurses emerged from the room. The young doctor who was in his mid-thirties was abruptly surrounded by Massie's "clan".

"How is Massie, doctor?" Kendra was the first one to ask. "Will she be okay?"

"As you and your husband were earlier informed, Massie is in a comatose. She has several fractured bones and has suffered trauma from the accident." He checked his files and records. "Her X-ray, CAT scan, and her other tests, show us no problem aside from the fact that she's in a coma. As you all know, comatose is the state when a person is—"

Dylan cut him off abruptly. "Seriously, doc, we really don't need the medical explanations. Can you just give us the gist of it?"

Everyone almost laughed but held it to themselves.

Dr. Jenkins smiled a bit. "I'm sorry." He chuckled once. "To be frank, Massie's not responding to any of our test. No blink, no twist. Physically, she's immobile. But mentally, she's awake. She can hear us, sense her surroundings. So, I suggest you try to talk to her about the past, about her hobbies, things that hold a huge part in her life. She _might _snap."

"Thank you, doctor." William said, walking with him to the Nurse's Station.

That was when Derrick was aware that all eyes were on him, expecting.

"Derrick," Kendra murmured softly, her voice almost begging. She moved towards Derrick and touched his arm with her warm, shaky hand. "please, you're the only one she has ever loved so much. I know and I know it well that you're the only one that she'll listen to. I know that she has hurt you for God knows how many times now," they all had to smile at that, "but, please, Derrick. She loves you and I know that you still love her, too."

Was it true? Does he still love her despite all the wrongs she had done?

Yes, of course, yes! God! Nothing could make him not love her. Nothing, no one even him.

_Derrick Harrington still loved Massie Block._

Kendra could see understanding in Derrick's eyes and she smiled. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek.

Derrick smiled back at her and went to open the door to Massie's hospital suite. He took a deep breath and closed the door behind him. He took another breath and turned around to face an unconscious Massie Block, strapped in IVs and her breathing was echoed through a beeping device over her.

Derrick took his time walking to her side, gazing at her longingly. He had to give Massie the credit. She still looked breathtakingly beautiful and stunning even in a hospital gown and surrounded by hundreds of beeping devices and a tall dextrose that had a thin tube stuck to her palm. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful manner. Her lips were pursed in a line. Her chest was rising and dropping steadily.

He took the seat beside her. "Block, it's, um, Derrick." He began to say. He waited for her to wake up but when she didn't, he continued his monologue. "Do you remember that one summer when we went to my parents' beach house in the Hamptons with the gang? That was when we were in Freshmen year, right? We were there for a two week vacation but you and the girls packed as if we're not coming back home. And you had us, guys, carry you baggages for you while you argued over what shoes were better. And the very first minute we arrived at the beach house, you spilled Orange juice all over me. I had to change into a new set of clothes at once because I looked like I peed myself." He chuckled at the memory.

He was quiet for awhile, just staring at her motionless form.

"You know, it was the first time you looked into my eyes and told me 'I love you'." He finally said in a quiet voice. "It was 7:00 in the evening, remember? There were luminous stars scattered over the dark sky. The others were having a bonfire party while we escaped and ambled along the shore away from the others. We didn't talk much; we just held hands and walked for God knows how long. And then, unexpectedly, you skidded to a halt and turned me to face you. You stared into my eyes in silence. And then, you suddenly whispered 'I love you' to me. That was when I knew that you are the girl I will spend the rest of my life with." He shook his head, laughing. "People might think that I'm crazy despite all those times you abandoned me but I know how intense the bond between us is. I know that I'll still be drawn back to you and vice versa. Nothing could draw a permanent boundary between us, even time.

"It was stupid of me to think that I could live without you. It was a rotten lie. The truth is I love you, I always have, and I will endure every pain that would come with being with you because I know that the only thing that could scar me permanently is losing you." He took her hand and kissed it. He waited for her to wake up.

_One. . .two. . .three. . .four. . .five. . ._Six minutes have passed and still no movement from Massie.

"C'mon, Block." Derrick began to beg. "Wake up. Your daughter, your friends, your parents, me—we're all waiting for you. Block, wake up, please. I love you, Block." And after three minutes and Massie still haven't moved, Derrick stood up and began leaning towards her. _Now, let's see if you could resist this, _he thought hopefully. He leaned forward, closed his eyes and touched his lips to hers. He could hear the machine echoing her erratic heartbeats and he knew that she was trying to wake up, to respond.

A few minutes seemed like an hour to Derrick. He wondered if this method will work, if talking to her made it better or made it worse. He was about to give up and pull away when he felt _her _lips moving with his.

He opened his eyes and found her lids close. He broke the kiss half-heartedly and waited for her to open her eyes. At last, those mesmerizing amber eyes he had been dreaming of for the past days delicately opened and gazed back into his. Her, then, broke into an alluring smile.

"You interrupted my sleep." She accused in a low, teasing voice. "Criminal."

"Guilty." He teased back, holding up his hands like a criminal who confessed to a crime. "But what crime did I commit, miss?"

Massie pursed his lips, fighting a smile. "You stole a kiss from an unconscious little girl." She played along.

He tossed his head, laughing out loud, and bent down to give Massie a feverish kiss once more. "I'd be happy to take the consequences any day." He murmured against her lips.

Massie pulled away, earning a questioning look from Derrick. "You're starting to give me a headache, soccer cap." She was overwhelmed that she was staring to be herself again.

Derrrick grinned smugly.

But she was suddenly serious. "Did you mean what you said?" He looked at her, confused. "About accepting my apology and that you still love me?"

Derrick frowned at her. "I wouldn't have spent almost an hour talking to an unconscious woman if I wasn't madly in love with her." But then the corners of his flawless lips turned up into a smile. "But if that unconscious woman looks so damn sexy and irresistible in her hospital gown, I'd give an exception." He taunted seductively.

Massie weakly slapped his hand that was sneaking its way underneath her quilt. "Behave, soccer cap. We're in a hospital." She scolded but laughed. "Oh, come here. Give me a kiss."

Derrick chuckled and did as he was told. He kissed her lips, the corners of her mouth and down to her throat when they heard an ear-splitting shriek from outside the room.

"What was that?" Massie asked, almost shouting. "It sounded like Leesh."

The door flew open and Josh dashed inside. "Leesh's water broke." He announced in an anxious yet excited tone.

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**Cliffy! Yay! Another huge episode in the Clique's oh-so-glamorous, oh-so-complicated life. Leesh's about to give birth! Yay! But I'm not saying what the kid is. _Yet. _You have to stay tune for the next chapter. **

**NEWS ALERT!**

**-There are only three more chapters, give or take one, before this story will come to an end.-**

**Keep those awesome reviews going. Take time.:))  
**


	16. Chapter 15

**Jeez, I'm going nuts with my cousin who logged in to my account and used my name to review on stories here since she has no account in . Well, it's okay with me but I really hope that she'd ask permission. Gosh. And did I mention that they'll be spending two weeks at my house? Their noise and unruliness are already killing me.**

**This chap is more on Alicia and Josh. You know, with the baby thing.**

**Thanks for the fabulous reviews. I'm really going to need a lot of reviews because this is the second to the last chapter of this story. So, please take your time reviewing.:))**

**I own nothing.

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Chapter 15

"Okay, Alicia, dear," Kendra said to a panicking Alicia Hotz. She rubbed her trembling shoulders. "Calm down, honey. Claire and Kristen already called Dr. Pruitt, your doctor. Just wait for a couple minutes. She'll be here."

Alicia was sitting on the chair outside Massie's room because she couldn't move anymore. One tiny movement caused her pain. Everyone was there except Kristen and Claire who called her doctor and Josh who was still inside Massie's room.

"Josh!" She growled, in between her inhales and exhales.

Josh, upon hearing his wife's voice from inside the room, stumbled out and was instantly beside Alicia, taking her sweaty hands in his. "Sorry, dear. But Massie's awake."

Everyone gasped and then hugged each other. They were happy about Massie's recovery and momentarily forgot about Alicia's laboring. Even Alicia forgot.

"Hey, Mass!" She even yelled to Massie who heard her loud and clear and chuckled. And then, she let out a scream. "Argh! God! Where's the goddamn doctor?" She bellowed.

"She's here!" Kristen informed, appearing from the corner followed by Claire and Dr. Megan Pruitt.

"We'll move you to a room, Mrs. Hotz, for your laboring and when you're ready, we'll move you to the ER." She told her in soft voice. It was barely heard over Alicia's heavy _whoosh_ing.

"Okay." She responded and turned to Josh, squeezing his hand. "Call my parents." With that, she was removed to a wheelchair and was wheeled to the room a few rooms from Massie.

***

"Okay, okay, that's good. You're doing great, honey." Nadia Rivera kept on repeating over and over again.

They were inside her private suite. She was laboring and her mom and Georgina Hotz were one each of her side, whispering in encouragement. Philip Rivera and Darius Hotz were at a corner, their head bent down and discussing in hushed tones. Her friends were waiting outside. They all went to see her even Massie who was in a wheelchair. Josh, on the other hand, never left her side. He was always there, holding her hand, kissing it.

Dr. Pruitt appeared in the foot of her bed after three and half minutes. She was already in her scrubs. Accompanying her were two men, wearing the same scrub that she had. "Mrs Hotz, it's time." She announced.

Alicia looked at Josh's mom, her mom and then finally, at Josh. They all nodded at her with a smile. Her dad and Josh's dad stopped their conversation and went to stand beside their wives. They touched her arm, squeezing it.

She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm ready."  
Dr. Pruitt nodded at the two nurses and they began to move Alicia's bed.

"Josh?" Alicia called, cocking her head to the sides, looking for her father, as she was being moved to the ER.

A familiar hand touched hers. "I'm here, babe. I'm not leaving your side." Josh murmured to her, walking swiftly with her mob.

She smiled up at him and closed her eyes, ready for what she once feared and now desired.

***

"Push, Mrs. Hotz, push!" Dr. Pruitt ordered.

They were in the ER with six nurses, Dr. Hank and Dr. Pruitt. Josh was beside her, holding her hand and murmuring his love for her. Alicia was on the operating bed, bathed in sweat.

Alicia, with her hand grasping Josh's, grunted. "I'm never getting pregnant ever again!" She said in between grunts.

"A little bit more, Mrs. Hotz!" Dr. Pruitt shouted. "And the pain will go away!"

Alicia's grip on Josh's hand tightened and with one long, loud grunt, she could feel her baby slipping from her. And then, as the pain slowly wavered, the whole room was filled with a newborn baby's cry, erasing the tension and replacing it with joy and triumph.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hotz, it's a baby boy." Dr. Pruitt revealed with a smile, holding a small, crying figure which was wrapped in a piece of clothing to her chest.

"Hand me my baby." Alicia whispered, her breathing still unsteady.

Dr. Pruitt did as she was told. She gave Alicia her son and she cradled him against her chest.

He was the most beautiful baby boy she had ever seen. He was tiny and fragile. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were fluttering a bit but it was enough to reveal to his parents his beautiful chocolate brown eyes like his father's. His red lips formed a small 'O' shape and then closed.

"He's sleeping." Alicia cooed and then, she looked up to find her husband's eyes gazing at her adoringly. "He has your eyes." She said with a breathtaking smile. "But he has my charms." She teased and stuck out her tongue at him, making everyone laugh.

Josh chuckled at Alicia and bent down to touch his lips to hers.

The rest broke into an applause and then, little baby Hotz woke up with a loud cry, breaking up his parents.

"Oops." Josh murmured. "We should start learning not to show our affection in public for this little monster's benefit." He said fondly and planted a kiss on their son's forehead.

Alicia and the rest laughed in response.

***

"Their baby's a boy." Derrick announced as he entered Massie's room where Cam, Claire, Dylan, Chris, Kristen, Dempsey, and Blair were gathered at while Kendra, William, Darius, Georgina, Nadia and Philip were outside the ER waiting for Alicia, Josh and the baby. After the delivery, Josh immediately called Derrick and told them the news.

Everyone gushed and rejoiced.

"I'm positive they'll name him 'Ralph Lauren'." Massie commented.

Everyone laughed, knowing for sure that that is a strong possibility since Josh and Alicia were both Ralph Lauren's biggest fans.

Blair was perched up on the bed beside her mom and they were talking quietly to each other.

"I can't wait to see their baby boy." Dylan squealed. "Let's go." She pulled Chris up on his feet and dragged him out. And then, the others followed them after checking if Massie will come along.

Derrick called the nurse to assist him with transferring Massie to a wheelchair and in just a few seconds, there was a knock on the door and the nurse entered with a wheelchair. They slowly placed Massie on it and Derrick wheeled her to Alicia's room with Blair holding Massie's hand.

Kendra and William and the other parents were outside, giving Alicia and Josh and their friends privacy.

"It's happy to see you alright, Massie." Nadia said to Massie, giving her one of her kind smiles.

"Thanks, Mrs. R." Massie called back before the door closed behind them.

"Massie!" Alicia squealed as soon as she caught sight of her best friend.

Derrick moved Massie to Alicia's side and stood behind her, his arms on her shoulders. "Congratulations, Leesh. I heard you did great."

Chris and Cam guffawed, bumping their closed fists. "I think the right compliment is that 'they _both _did great'." Chris joked, punching Josh's shoulder. "Damn—″

Derrick cut him off. "My daughter's here." He snapped, instantly covering Blair's ears with his hands.

Chris looked not even a bit apologetic at Blair. "You'll understand it better after your mom moves in with you." He winked.

Blair giggled.

"If you won't shut that," Massie mouthed the word 'goddamn', "mouth, you won't have any anymore."

Chris took her threat seriously and changed the subject. "Hey, Leesh, let us see your baby boy."

Alicia grateful that their little squabble was finally done, slightly turned their baby to face her friends.

"Ehmagawd!" The women gushed.

"He's so cute!" Claire complimented.

"He looks like Josh." Cam said.

Josh looked smug.

"Yeah, he does." Dempsey agreed.

"Especially his eyes, their exactly like Josh." Derrick said.

"But the curve of his lips are like Alicia's." Massie added, earning a thank-you smile from Alicia.

"What's his name?" Blair asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I was thinking 'Ralph Lauren' but Josh said that it won't sound good with his family name." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's true." Josh said, laughing with the others.

"I agree." Kristen said.

"So, we played along with RL's name. It took us hours to choose a name." Alicia chuckled.

Josh tickled the baby's feet softly. The tiny creature slightly moved and silently yawned. "So, we ended up with Raphael Lawrence Hotz."

"Nickname is Ralph." Alicia added.

"I like it." Blair said with a smile and then looked up to Alicia. "Aunt Leesh, can I touch him?" She asked in her sweet voice.

Alicia chuckled. "Of course, Blair, honey." She shifted Ralph to her other side so that Blair could touch his feet.

Blair giggled. "He's soft and cute." And then she turned to her mom and dad. "I want a baby brother, too. Please?" She whined, using that puppy-dog look Massie used to use with her parents.

Cam, Chris, Dempsey and Josh guffawed. Alicia, Claire, Kristen and Dylan giggled while Massie blushed and Derrick looked expectantly at Massie.

He scooped up Blair and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Your mom and I will work on that over the Holidays." He chuckled.

Massie elbowed him and then buried her face beneath her hands, hiding her blush and embarrassment.

The others just laughed at her reaction.

* * *

**Sweeeet. Wasn't that nice?**

**Thou shall not forget to leave a review.**


	17. Epilogue

**First and foremost, I would like to greet everyone Happy New Year! It's almost midnight here in the Philippines and I purposely posted this chapter on this blessed day because, well, you'll know why after you read the Epilogue. Btw, to **_**rstar ()**_**, Blair's ten years old. There are times when she acts her age or more mature than she should be.**

**We have finally come to the END. Sniff. So sad. I wanted to do more chapters, to bring more surprises and challenges to the characters, but they're just not up to it. They said that they have gone through enough and it's the Holidays. So, I didn't push. Hahaha! They talk to me, you know. I'm not crazy. Honestly! (:D)**

**I'd like to give a shoutout to all of my regular readers and reviewers who glued their butts on the chair and buried themselves in front of the computer for an hour or so to read the next chapter of this thrilling story, and to those who were deeply engulfed by the story and the characters that whatever emotion the Massie, Derrick and the rest showed in the chapters reflected them at the other side of the LCD screen. Your reviews, those awesome and exhilarating reviews, never failed to make me smile and they inspired me to write better and . . . faster. Hugs and kisses for y'all! Mwah! *flying a kiss***

**And now, without any further ado, here is the last but not the least (of course, since it's very, very long) chapter of Here We Go Again by ESTF, the EPILOGUE.**

**I own nothing.  


* * *

**

The Epilogue

"Blair, get your butt down here _now_!" Massie shouted from the kitchen for the umpteenth time since her guests had arrived this evening.

It had been six years after the terrible car accident, Ralph Lawrence Hotz's birth, and the happy reunion of Westchester infamous crowd. But after that, all was well. Four years ago, Derrick, Cam, Josh, Dempsey and Chris had retired from soccer and had opened up their own business and pursued their own careers. The Pretty Committee, as usual, was as fabulous as ever. It was even more fabulous and a bit creepy when Massie, Dylan, and Kristen gave birth a year after Alicia did. And their children grew up like they did. Presently, Blair Harrington was 16 years old and her younger brother, Nick, was six. Ralph Hotz was seven years old. Jake Fisher was six years old while Ella Fisher was four. Chris and Dylan Plovert's twins, Erin and Drew, were six years old. Dempsey and Kristen's, Lisa, was six. There was no more perfect family than the Pretty Committee had.

"_Blair!_" Massie roared, already fuming. Her left palm came down on the kitchen counter with a slam while her right hand was on her hips.

"Chill, Mom!" She heard her sixteen-year-old daughter's voice. "I'm just getting dressed! I'll be there in a sec!"

Massie sighed, thinking about how long Blair finishes dressing up.

It was an hour before New Year's eve and they, the Harringtons, were hosting a party in their backyard with their friends.

A pair of arms snaked their way around Massie's waist from behind, pulling her close and startling her at the same time.

She gasped.

"Hello, gorgeous." Derrick whispered at her ear.

"Derrick," She frowned but turned herself so that she was facing him, pressing his body against his.

He chuckled at her expression and twisted the corners of her lips upward. "Smile, love. It's New Year's Eve. And have I mentioned how stunning you look tonight?"

Even though they were already married for six years, she still hadn't gotten used to Derrick's usual sweet compliments and flattery. It still made her blush tomato red like before. Not that she didn't know how amazing she looked. Everyone knows that. The whole damn world knows that Massie Block- Harrington never dresses a 9. It was always a 10.

Tonight, she was wearing a new white Chanel skinny jeans, an off-shoulder, long-sleeved red Dolce&Gabbana sweater that fitted her slim and curvy torso, a long, unbuttoned, white Vera Wang vest with no sleeves and a pair of brown platform wedges. Straddling her neck was a gold necklace with a shining rock which Derrick bought her yesterday.

Massie wound her fingers in his hair, slowly drawing his lips near. "I think you might have mentioned that." She murmured.

Catching up with her mood, Derrick bent down so that she didn't have to stretch up. As soon as their lips met, they felt young and reckless again. Derrick's hand traced her collarbone, sending Massie shivers of pleasure, and was already on her lower back when they heard an irritated voice clear her throat.

They quickly pulled away and turned towards their teenage daughter who was standing at the threshold of the kitchen.

Blair Harrington was modeling a red Alexander McQueen cocktail dress with super thin straps that barely clung to her shoulders, golden pair of Greek-inspired gladiator wedges and a pair of white, leather wrist gloves from Burberry that protected her palms from freezing. The dress emphasized her womanly curves and exposed almost half of her cleavage.

"You, guys, should know when to display your affection." She made a disgusted tone as she started to nibble a piece of muffin on the counter.

"And you, young lady, should know when to wear such clothes." Derrick shot back, gesturing towards her "conservative" outfit.

Blair sighed, putting the muffin back on the counter. "In your vocabulary, Dad, I'm sure it means never, right? Jeez, Dad, I'm sixteen years old, for crying out loud! Sixteen, not ten! Did Mom wear jumpers when she was sixteen? C'mon, Dad. You know that I know that she expressed herself more wholly than I do." She said.

Derrick thought about it for awhile. "Actually, she has a point, love." He told Massie with a guilty smile.

And Blair knew that he had dropped the issue. For now.

Massie smacked his chest and ignored him when he shouted "ow". She walked over to Blair.

"Don't mind your Dad, honey. He's just being protective." She apologized with a smile. "You really do look beautiful. Is this the dress I bought you yesterday?"

That was why she loved her Mom so much. She could easily read her thoughts even though she's no Edward Cullen and she always knows how to make her feel better. They always agree on everything except boys which she vehemently agreed with Derrick that "boys are overrated and less important than school" and "you should study first before you give boys a thought" and "it's okay to have a boyfriend but you always have to take care of yourself and don't easily agree to everything he says". Gah! In this small town, it was _impossible_ for any adults or parents to _not_ know who's dating who.

"You bought her the whole mall. How could she possibly remember them all?" Derrick mocked.

Both girls ignored him.

"Yes, it is, Mom. You're right. It really does look good on me." Blair said. "Plus, it makes my butt look smaller." She added with a giggle.

Derrick growled but moved forward to wrap his arms around his girls. Blair was sandwiched between them but she was able to whisper, "I love you, both" to them.

But before they could reply, Nick, Ralph, and Jake dashed down from upstairs towards the backyard, bumping pass Derrick, Massie and Blair.

Nick paused to run back to his mom, dad and sister. He gave them each a hug. "Sorry, guys. But we saw an alien's spacecraft passing by our house! We're going to look for it!" He ran after his friends then.

The three of them laughed.

"Seriously, though, that kid has some issues." Blair said.

Derrick and Massie turned to her and simultaneously said, "Look who's talking."

And then they cracked up.

Derrick and Blair went to help Massie carry the food to the back when the phone suddenly rang.

"Blair, could you please answer that?" Massie asked as she and Derrick went to the backyard.

Blair answered the phone on its fifth ring.

It was Nate Markus, her boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend, actually.

"Blair?"

"Nate?" Blair whispered into the receiver, hiding behind the wall.

"I'm outside. If you won't come out, I'll barge in." He threatened and before Blair could protest, he hung up.

"Oh, crap!" Blair put the phone back and bobbed her head out of the backyard door. "I'll take the trash out." She saw that both her parents and her Aunt Alicia heard her but she didn't wait for them to answer. She grabbed the trash and ran out the front door, stopping by the Coat closet to put on a white overcoat.

Because of her hurry, she forgot to bring a flashlight with her! Great! It was dark outside but thankfully, she had memorized her own home.

It was awfully quiet, too. The only sound that was heard was from the fountain in the middle of the circular driveway. She went around the driveway and was about to go through the gate when someone pulled her to the trees, covering her mouth to keep her from screaming.

"Blair, it's me. Nate."

Relieved that it was Nate and not a rapist, her breathing went back to normal. "You could have given me a heart attack."

He smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

Even in the dark, she could still see his alluring smile which drew every girl at school crazy and madly in love with him. But not even his dazzling smile could erase the anger that has been haunting her since the game last Thursday. "Nate, what the hell are you doing here?" She hissed. "I thought you made it clear that you don't

want me anymore when the entire school and faculty saw you and Carrie Newman kissing in the middle of the field after the game last Thrusday. And it wasn't just any friend-to-friend kiss, Nate." She threw her hands up in frustration and before he could cut her off, she began rambling on and on again. "Hell, I'm your girlfriend and that was supposed to be me kissing you after you won! I'm the goddamn head cheerleader and you embarrassed me in front of the whole BOCD when you chose some wannabee ho who has probably slept with half of the guys at the student body over—″

Nate knew that there was no other way she would stop talking so he grabbed her wrist, pinning it to her sides and crushed his lips to hers. At first, she started to fight the kiss, trying to break his grip on her but he was just so damn strong. And Nate only kissed her harder. But then the warmth of Nate's skin, the sweet taste of his breath overwhelmed her and before she knew it, she was kissing him back.

Sensing the sudden change in Blair, Nate released her hands and allowed her to knot them in his hair while his arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her close. She pushed him back against the oak tree behind him, finally losing control. He laughed at her roughness and grabbed her legs, wrapping them around his waist. He then turned them around so that it was Blair against the tree now.

And then, she startled him with one hysterical laughter. He pulled away slightly but kept her legs around his waist. She didn't move from her current position, too.

"Let's not do this here right now, Nate." She whispered, caressing his cheek.

He stared into her eyes, searching for the anger that she previously felt but found nothing. Only pure pleasure and craving. "You're probably right. And I hate to ruin your pretty dress." His eyes fell down to her open coat which revealed her cleavage.

Blair chuckled and Nate let her down. She buttoned the coat again.

"Blair, I'm really sorry." Nate finally said but in a soft, whisper. When she didn't interrupt him, he continued into his explanation. "There was never anything between me and Carrie. She was the one who ran and kissed me. And since, you didn't stay for another second, you didn't see me push her way and ran to the cheerleader's bay to look for you. You ignored my messages, my IMs, and my calls and how could I possibly explain the truth to you?" He sounded angry but he took a breath and when he spoke again, his voice was calm. "Look, Blair, I love you, okay? I really love you and I miss you so—″

Blair placed a finger on his lips. "What did you say again? Those three words."

Nate smiled, took Blair's finger and entwined it with his. "I love you." He whispered.

Blair smiled, too. "That's all I needed to hear." She drew him back and this kiss was less tense, but more passionate.

"But you really have to go." She murmured, almost sad, as he was kissing the end of her jaw. "My dad might see you. And you know how he gets."

Nate sighed and stopped kissing her. He straightened up, running his hand through his hair. "Well, I really should go, too. My parents didn't know I sneaked out minutes before New Year's Eve. I'm sure my mom will explode when she sees my car's not inside the garage.

They chuckled.

"Happy New Year, Blair." Nate said.

"Happy New Year, Nate." She gave him a quick kiss before he perched himself up on the wall and disappeared at the other end of it.

***

Blair was still thinking about Nate when she joined the others at the backyard.

"I'm not gonna ask." Derrick said, shaking his head, as Blair sat beside him.

Blair smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

Derrick snorted but hugged his daughter.

Someone was poking her from behind. Blair pulled away and found Nick, Ralph, Jake, the Plovert twins, Ella and Lisa surrounding her. They were all grinning foolishly at her.

"D, man!" Blair heard her Uncle Cam and Uncle Dempsey call her father.

Derrick stood up from the chair and walked over to the grill where his friends were at, leaving Blair to take care with the "aliens".

Blair groaned. "What _now_?"

"I know you met Nate outside." Nick told her in a quiet tone.

"Shush!" She silenced him. "And how did you know that?"

He took something out from his front pocket and held it out in front of Blair.

It was her purple iPhone.

As Blair gasped in horror, Nate smiled devilishly, scrolling down the thread of messages, and began reading them.

**December 27, 5:46pm**

**I'm sorry, Blair. Let me explain. It's not what you think it is.**

**- Nate**

**December 28, 7:23am**

**Oh, c'mon, Blair. Please let me explain.**

**- Nate**

**December 29, 4:56am**

**Blair, please. Talk to me. Call me soon. I'm literally going crazy. You know you're the only one I love. **

**- Nate**

**December 30, 6:01pm**

**I love you, babe. Call me.:)**

**- Nate**

**December 31, 9:34pm**

**If you still won't answer me, Blair, I'm going to your house.**

**- Nate**

**December 31, 11:17pm**

**I'm outside. Meet me. We need to talk, Blair. And if you won't come out, I'll barge in.**

**- Nate**

"I wonder what will Daddy and Mommy say when they see this and your other secrets here, Blair." Nick said in his annoying, innocent, childlike voice.

Lisa, Ella and Erin giggled.

She couldn't believe someone barely 4 feet was maddeningly irritating.

Blair thought of a plan. And, as usual, she had one. One mischievous, brilliant plan that would positively work over her nosy brother.

Instead of scowling, she smiled one too-innocent-and-sweet smile. "If you won't give that back to me, my dearest brother, I'm afraid that I'd have to tell everyone that you have a crush on Eri—″

"Here, here!" He shoved the phone into Blair's hands. "I hate you!" He growled and stuck his tongue at her before turning his back.

The other nosy kids looked at each other and then giggled at Erin who simply blushed then they ran after Nick who was sitting, cross-legged, near the pool.

Blair grinned proudly at herself. "Young love," she scoffed, taking a sip from her Strawberry juice.

***

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" Everyone shouted in unison at the same time Dempey, Cam and Chris fired the fireworks. Then they returned back to their family.

Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Claire and Kristen reached for the husbands and kissed them with as much passion as they could gather. They almost forgot that they were surrounded by minors until their kids groaned in disgust.

"Eww!" They covered their eyes with their barely intact fingers.

"Get a room!" Blair yelled but as a matter of fact, them showing their affection in public didn't bother her because she actually understood that sudden, inevitable urge to kiss your lover. Well, for tonight, she'll give the lovebirds a break.

The grown-ups pulled away and chuckled.

Derrick pulled Nick and hoisted him up his shoulders while Massie grabbed Blair by the arm and placed an arm around her shoulders while her other arm was around Derrick's waist. Soon, every family was almost in the same position: Ralph was on Josh's shoulder while Alicia wrapped both of her arms around the men of her life; Drew's arms were around Chris's neck while he carried Drew and Erin was also carried by her Dylan; Ella and Jake were carried by Cam in his arms while Claire wrapped her arms around them, making sure that Cam won't get out of balance; and Lisa was in Dempsey's one arm while his other free one was wrapped around Kristen.

Massie started to look around her, to check on her family and friends' expressions.

She looked at The Pretty Committee—her sisters, best friends and, probably, once her enemies—and saw the happiness and triumph in their faces as they gazed into their own family and then at her. They smiled at each other.

Massie then averted her gaze to her children. In Blair, she could see the teenager yearning for freedom but at the same time the desperate desire of holding on to her parents. She could see her own reckless, superior and courageous but slightly vulnerable self in her daughter. In Nick, her little, nosy, and imaginative boy, she saw her inquisitive self and Derrick's good-but-never-too-old charms. She smiled.

She saved the Derrick for the last.

She grew up in a rich and pampered life. Everything she wanted, in just a snap, she had it. She never thought that her life was lacking, incomplete. Until she met Derrick who completely altered her life and the way she looked at things like just one soccer kick. Since then, she knew that money and fame were never the answer to one's happiness. Derrick was the only person who showed her how to appreciate life, the only person who unleashed the real Massie Block. But most of all, he was the one who showed her the true meaning of life and love.

Feeling Massie's gaze, Derrick met her eyes. And they both knew that they shared the same thoughts and emotions.

And finally, as Massie looked up the color-filled sky, she saw herself and her whole life in it. Sometimes bright, sometimes dark. Sometimes easy, sometimes hard. But she knew that no matter what, there will always be a fire, burning her up.

A tear escaped from Massie Block's eyes as she realized that this was yet another ending in her epic life but the beginning of a whole new story.

**The End**

**Wasn't that nice? A sweet, happy ending for everyone.**

**Let me, once again, take this opportunity to thank you all for sticking with me and the characters, for witnessing the ups-and-downs in The Clique's life. I really had fun writing this one and it's sad to let go now. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! TAKE TIME TO REVIEW SINCE THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER, THE END OF HWGA! IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO PRAISE, TO CRITICIZE, TO POINT OUT OR TO ASK, JUST LEAVE A REVIEW AND I'LL TRY MY BEST TO ANSWER THEM ALL! I'LL BE POSTING A BONUS CHAPTER WHERE I'LL ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS. YOU CAN BOMBARD ME NOW WITH THE QUESTIONS YOU DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO ASK ME BEFORE. BUT I WON'T POST THAT CHAPTER UNTIL YOU ALL HAVE REVIEWED. AT LEAST I GET, UM, 10-15 REVIEWS, THEN I'LL POST IT.  
**

**Okay, I'm really starting to tear up. I'm letting go now! Bye! **

**Xoxo,**

**Samantha a.k.a ESTF**


	18. Author's Note II

**Hey, guys. Thank you all for the ah-mazing reviews!!! I was almost teary-eyed. Lol. Haha. **

**The following are stories from where I will pick my next one. Please read them, understand them, feel them and help me decide what story I'll next post:**

**1.) Title: Here We Go Again II: The Next Generation**

** Main Characters: Blair Kathleen- Harrington and Nathaniel Markus**

** Plot: The fabulous couple of Westchester is back together after a misunderstanding over the Holidays. But when Blair catches Nate cheating on her, she seeks revenge and goes after Nate's best friend, Kevin Montgomery. All ****is**** well until she starts to fall for him and then, here comes Nate desperate to get her back. Now, she finds herself caught in a love triangle between Nate and Kevin. Who will she choose in the end?**

**2.) Title: Headstrong**

** Main Characters: Massie Block, Derrick Harrington, and Josh Hotz**

** Plot: Massie Block and Derrick Harrington is Westchester's most famous, most perfect couple of Westchester. All is well until Josh Hotz, Derrick's mischievous and competitive cousin, comes to town and tries to steal his girl. Massie struggles to push the persistent Josh away and to be faithful to boyfriend who has his schedule wrapped around football. Can she actually resist the taste of hell in the form of gorgeous, green-eyed Josh Hotz? Or will she keep pushing herself to fit in her boyfriend's tight schedule? **

**3.) Title: Give Me A Chance**

** Main Characters: Massie Block and Derrick Harrington**

** Plot: When Massie Block's grandfather, the great MacArthur "Mac" Block, everyone, either in town or not, comes to his funeral to pay respect. Including the long-gone ex-boyfriend of Massie, Derrick Harrington who is desperate fix things with her. Will she open her heart for second chances? Or will she keep avoiding the truth that she's still in love with him?**

**4.) Title: The Art of Love**

** Main Characters: Massie Block and Derrick Harrington**

** Plot: Derrick Harrington is a famous painter with a cocky and charming personality, seeking inspiration for his new master piece to display on his Annual Art Exhibit where everyone who is everyone attends to. And has found it in the strict and meticulous new school principal of Briarwood-Octavian County Day High School. Two different people, two different personalities and one epic story to tell. Could Massie Block step out of her comfort zone and let this cunning gorge in? **

**Please go to my profile and vote on my poll. Thank you. :-)  
**


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